National chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole has defended President Muhammadu Buhari over the latter several foreign trips in recent time. President Buhari globe-trotting has courted public criticisms.
But addressing journalists, on Tuesday, in Abuja shortly after meeting with a delegation from Vietnam led by the country Deputy Prime Minister, Vuong Dinh Hue, Oshiomhole dismissed the public anger as misplaced.
He said no Nigerian president has travelled outside the nation shores more than Chief Olusegun Obasanjo while in office. He noted that the late human right activist, Gani Fawehinmi chronicled Chief Obasanjo foreign trips.
He said: “Saying President Buhari is involved in frequent trips is not correct. I remember very well, there is no President in recent Nigeria’s history, since 1999 till now, that travelled out of Nigeria as much as former President Olusegun Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo did.
“If you check through your newspapers and playback some of your electronic coverages, you will find where Gani Fawehinmi (of the blessed memory) took time to calculate the number of days President Obasanjo was out of Nigeria, visiting foreign countries.
“He even tried to calculate the number of hours he was spending in air comparing to the number of hours he was spending on Nigeria’s soil. So, how can you, that was already an adult when Obasanjo was President suggest that Buhari travels more often than another person? That is not correct.”
Oshiomhole equally faulted the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay reservation over his involvement in the Edo state crisis and leadership style as national chairman of the APC.
“All I can tell you is that I have a lot of respect for Professor Itse Sagay. I do remember very well that he was one of those who said I should contest for President. I respect him, he’s a very consistent fellow. He believes in what he believed in and he pays the price for it.
“So, I have a lot of respect for him. If he has said those things, I’m not going to reply him through the newspapers. I will find out what he said and I will find out, call him and know what the issues are, that he’s not comfortable with. He is my brother and my elder Statesman,” Oshiomhole said.
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