National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has denied being responsible for the distribution of rice in some states in the northern part of the country.
Tinubu in a statement on Thursday, by his media aide Tunde Rahman, said he personally had nothing to do with the photos and videos making the rounds where persons believed to be northerners are seen with bags of rice with the inscription ‘JAGABA – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.’
“We have seen the images being circulated of bags of rice depicting Asiwaju’s face being distributed across parts of the North,” the statement read.
The former governor of Lagos said he was not responsible for the initiative.
He, however, commended the efforts of the various volunteer groups for their benevolence.
“I am not responsible for this initiative but l commend the efforts of the various volunteer groups responsible for this benign act of charity and love for one another, particularly in this Holy month of Ramadan,” Tinubu said.
The development comes amid claims that Tinubu is nursing a presidential ambition ahead of 2023 although he has not publicly confirmed it.
The APC national leader had last month celebrated his 69th birthday in Kano State with the 12th edition of the Bola Tinubu Colloquium. High-profile personalities attended the event both physically and virtually.
His decision to celebrate his birthday in the north spurred diverse reactions but Tinubu claimed the move was to prove that Nigeria is one.
He had also recently donated the sum of N50 million to victims of a recent fire outbreak at Katsina Central Market in Katsina State.
Tinubu also paid visits to traders and other victims of the fire outbreak in the company of the state governor Aminu Masari.
