“President Muhammadu Buhari has, indeed, said Senator Bola Tinubu would do the campaigns on his behalf. We hope that he was misquoted. Otherwise, Nigerians should simply ask him to step back from the contest and let his party put Senator Tinubu forward as its candidate.”

These were the words of former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the Chairman of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

He stated this when he addressed a press conference in Abuja on Friday.

According to Sahara reporters, Oyinlola accused APC of planning to “unleash lawlessness” during the 2019 elections, and dared Buhari to lead his campaign if he is not afraid of facing Nigerians.

“APC has been a lawless party and we are aware of its plans to unleash that lawlessness on the nation during elections. This country needs peace and we as opposition will make it impossible for APC to plunge the nation into chaos with its plan to use raw state power to rig elections and give itself undeserved victory in the coming polls.

“We promise to engage bumper to bumper anyone who wants to rig the elections. We also deplore the tardiness and lack of political will on the part of President Buhari to make far-reaching and long overdue reorganization of the security architecture of the country. This, especially, is a key reason for the deteriorating condition of the nation’s security and the fight against terrorism. Specifically, we ask President Buhari to read what the ECOWAS protocol says on the role of armed forces and the Police in elections.”

He also called on Buhari to “inject fresh blood into the military and curb the excesses of the Police”.

He continued: “They are even reportedly planning what they describe as low-key campaigns as they plot how to insulate their candidate from campaigning and debating with opponents and tell Nigerians why they must trust him with their lives for another four years. President Muhammadu Buhari has, indeed, said Senator Bola Tinubu would do the campaigns on his behalf. We hope that he was misquoted.

“Otherwise, Nigerians should simply ask him to step back from the contest and let his party put Senator Tinubu forward as its candidate. President Buhari would go down as the first candidate in history to hire a proxy in a presidential contest. He is the one contesting. He should not be afraid to interface directly with Nigerians, he added”