Former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Ardo, has dismissed claims by former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, that he made late Muhammadu Buhari president.
PrimeTimes Nigeria recalls that Amaechi had, during a recent interview, claimed he fought all the battles that secured Buhari’s victory in the 2015 presidential election.
However, Ardo, while speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, said it was his idea to form the party so that late Buhari could contest in 2015.
According to him, no single person can claim to have made somebody president.
He said, “The idea of forming the APC for Buhari’s contest in 2015 was mine not Amaechi’s.
“No single person can claim to have made somebody president; it would need a large number of people and groups, but every idea starts with a single person, and the idea to form the APC was mine.
“Before the 2011 general elections, Buhari made a statement that he would not contest again if he lost, and he actually lost.
“I personally went to him and asked him to contest again. I told him the reason he had not won elections is that he had never gone outside the North to campaign. You need one zone in the South to win election.
“You can get the Southwest only if you get current President Bola Tinubu as Vice Presidential candidate. In 2011, Tinubu wanted to be Vice President but they went and brought Pastor Tunde Bakare.
“With that, Tinubu went ahead and had some consultation with former Goodluck Jonathan and supported him.
“Even though Buhari had said he would not go to the tribunal, I asked him to go so as to keep his political flag flying.”