The Presidency yesterday lashed Senate President Bukola Saraki for disparaging President Muhammadu Buhari and the government he leads.
Saraki, who defected from the APC to seek the presidential ticket of the PDP, described Buhari as lacking the vision and capacity to run the country.
But Presidency fired back at Saraki, describing him as a dangerous and desperate politician who can do anything to achieve his inordinate ambition.
It, however, pleaded with Buhari’s supporters to ignore what it called “Saraki’s crude speeches”.
A statement by presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said: “The Presidency wishes to react to the crude speeches hitting the news from Senator Bukola Saraki who recently joined the Peoples Democratic Party with the sole ambition of running for the president of Nigeria.
“In response to the condemnable and extremely derogatory speeches by the PDP aspirant, we urge all Buhari supporters to display restraint in language and conduct and to always put across their points of view in a decent language.
“Throughout his political career, Senator Saraki has shown that he is a very dangerous person who can go any length to promote his personal interests.
“The language of his campaign is such that cannot be used against a domestic help. Is he just knowing that the President lacked vision? This is someone that the Senator had worked with very closely for more than three years. Amazingly, he never said all that he is now saying against him.
“Rather, his word for and on the President were always respectful and reassuring. That’s the man he called ‘My Father’. About him, ‘there is no cause for alarm…a President who is healthy, witty and himself.’ What then changed, all of a sudden?
“Is he saying these blatantly false and crude things against the President because he is gunning for the same office? Could it be that he is targeting President Buhari because the party he just joined does not have any real issues to highlight?
“Be that as it may, our appeal to our supporters is to ignore Saraki and any such politicians bent on lowering the quality of political discourse. Let them drown in their own waters.”
In his search for support, Saraki insisted that the country was in need of a young vibrant leader with the capacity to withstand the rigours of governance at all time.
He said governance must be accompanied with the willingness and capacity to give 24 hours attention to the demands of the job.
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