A member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gadgi, says it is not correct that Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, is remote-controlling his principal.
Gadgi, who represents Plateau State’s Pankshin/Kanke/ Federal Constituency, announced this on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
Detractors of the CoS had blasted him for managing the administration’s activities, but Gadgi said such criticism was unfair to Gbajabiamila, claiming that no one understands what he has to endure in his new position.
Those who believe that the CoS is the “sole determinant” of the President’s decisions, according to Tinubu, underestimate his abilities and experience as a flexible politician who came into office “prepared.”
Gadgi said the President knows his right from his wrong and knows what is in the best interest of Nigerians.
The lawmaker said, “Looking at the political pedigree of Mr President, to say that the Chief of Staff will be the sole determinant of his decisions, you are underrating and undermining the achievement of Mr President, his political achievement in terms of being a Senator of the Federal Republic (of Nigeria), in terms of being a two-term governor in this country that passed through teething trouble to survive as a governor of Lagos, and in terms of various other political experience that Mr President has.
“So, you cannot look at some of us, Yusuf Gadgi for instance, and say that all is not well and that the Chief of Staff to the President is the one controlling and coordinating the direction of Mr President.
“I will tell you, ‘No’, that is not the kind of President we have; we have a President that knows his left from his right, we have a President that knows his wrong from his right, a President that knows what is in the best interest of Nigerians, we have a President that came prepared and knows what he wants to achieve. And certainly, you cannot tell me someone remote-controls him at this level.”