The director, Grassroots and Engagement, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, Sa’adatu Garba Dogonbauchi, has said activist and Kano politician, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, begged APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to make her director of Civil Society Directorate of the campaign council.
Dogonbauchi said contrary to Naja’atu’s claim that APC begged her to join the campaign, she traveled to the United Kingdom (UK) to beg Tinubu for the position she resigned from last week.
The grassroots director revealed that Naja’atu was initially appointed to deputise her (Dogonbauchi) in the civil society directorate before she lobbied to be made the director.
Naja’atu who resigned her position as the director of Civil Society Directorate in the APC campaign council on Thursday had met with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Abuja on Sunday where she pledged to the former vice president.
The activist who had announced quitting partisan politics after her resignation, has since made unsavory comments about Tinubu and the APC.
But speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP yesterday, Dogonbauchi challenged the former APC director to tell Nigerians when she realised Tinubu was no longer fit to be president, having begged and lobbied to be director in the campaign.
The APC chieftain added that Naja’atu decided to become an agent of the opposition after realising she was not having her way.
Describing Naja’atu as an untrustworthy person, Dogonbauchi said, “She was initially appointed as my deputy in the Civil Society Directorate. But she started lobbying to become the director because she doesn’t want to work under anybody.
“So, she travelled to London, the United Kingdom, to meet Asiwaju and begged him to give her the job of director. Asiwaju gave it to her. That was how she became the director of the civil society directorate. I was eventually made director of grassroot and engagement.”
Dogonbauchi added that Naja’atu lied about Tinubu’s health and that the former Lagos governor does not have an agenda for the North.
Noting that the claims are totally false, Dogonbauchi said, “She (Naja’atu) said Tinubu is sick. She should come and tell us whether all these hours, sleepless nights and talks that Tinubu has been doing on the campaign so far can be done by a sick man.
“Nigerians can see his rallies. He is fit. He is healthy, intelligent and competent to preside over Nigeria”.
On Naja’atu working for Atiku, Dogonbauchi said it is likely that the PDP candidate has promised the former director a political appointment.
She said, “Maybe she went to Atiku because she has been promised something. But she abused Atiku and talked nonsense about him not so long ago. And everybody knows she made a lot of negative comments and allegations against Atiku.
“So, she feels she can defend him now? When they lose the election, she will be among the first people to say negative things about Atiku. She will abuse him. She is not a trustworthy person.”
