Why I didn’t acknowledge Tinubu in my victory speech – Akeredolu

The Ondo State Governor-Elect, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday said his failure to acknowledge a National Leader of his party, the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his victory speech on Sunday was not to spite him.
Rather, Akeredolu said it was because it was not expedient to do so.
In the countdown to the election last weekend, observers had pointed to differences between the two politicians.
But speaking with State House correspondents on Wednesday, Akeredolu said having acknowledged President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the recognised national leader of the APC, and the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, it was safe to infer that he had acknowledged all the party’s leaders.
Akeredolu, who was at the Presidential Villa with his Deputy, Agboola Ajayi to meet Buhari, said his relationship with Tinubu was cordial.
He said: “On the names that were mentioned in my speech when expressing gratitude and that I didn’t specifically thank Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I thanked the President and the leader of our party profusely for the leadership which he showed leading to this election.
“I also thanked our indefatigable chairman for standing by the truth and for his position on this matter that led to this election.
“I have no reason to do otherwise.
“Party structure, to the best of my knowledge, is very clear.
“You have the leadership of the party and that is represented by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
“After an election, a chief executive emerges, he becomes a leader of the party.
“You don’t have to personalise and be looking for leaders all over the place.
“If we have to do that, then I will have to mention 36 or 37 leaders.
“So, I believe the leadership as represented by the President covers all leaders and that tells me it would include Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it would include even Baba (Chief Bisi) Akande, (Ogbonnaya) Onu and so many leaders.
“But President Buhari is the leader of the party.
“So, that is my position there.
“For me, as a person, I believe he is one of the leaders of the party and I don’t see any strained relationship between us.
“And you would observe that he has sent in his congratulatory message after the election.
“So what else do you expect?
“I mean all of us see this as a victory for the APC, not for Akeredolu, not for us an individual but for the party as a whole.
“I believe he is a member of the party.
“Mr. Femi Adesina had issued a release, but you journalists just want to put words into our mouths.