Shoot at sight:  Tinubu defends Buhari

National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has defended President Muhammadu Buhari over a statement credited to him that he ordered security agencies to shoot Nigerians summarily.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja at the end of the APC caucus meeting, he said, that the President was misinterpreted.

According to him, the President at the meeting only reinforced that those involved in ballot box snatching will be doing it at the risk of their life.

“I was in that meeting; the president was just reinforcing the fact that if you are out there snatching ballot boxes, and causing destructions, you are at risk of your own life. Whatever happens to you; no president will give an order that his own citizens should be shot summarily, No! No, it’s okay, emotions are running high these days. Any individual including myself can be misinterpreted.

“These are not his words; he is a law abiding person and he understands categorically and clearly what rule of law is and the lives of individual citizens that he is in that office to protect. Now, let me run this; he has been fighting Book Haram, kidnappers and all these before this election, did you hear him asking them to be shot and executed summarily?

“By law we should continue to energise our people; it depends on our resources. Because the Electoral Act allows us to do that; and ask led us to stop campaigning only 24 hours before the actual election. And once you changed the date to Feb. 23, you have given us the opening to campaign and energise.

“If you a garden and you don’t nourish with water, the grass will remain dormant; we don’t want our party to remain dormant. This is ability of leadership to convert adversity to opportunity and prosperity and that’s it; that’s what we must do,” he said.

Asked if the postponement has cast doubt on the credibility of INEC, he said “It depends on how it is handled and the process. How the process is managed; you can convert a crisis–a situation of adversity to an opportunity and progress.

“The INEC, under the law, they are empowered to postpone, cancel and do whatever is necessary to ensure free and fair election. No party other the anger, the disappointment, no party can reverse that. So, we are ready for Feb. 23.”