Again, it was another round of backlash and lash-back for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in the ongoing campaign for the 2023 presidency.
In the ongoing credibility battle, PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, fired the first shot yesterday when he challenged his APC counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to come clean on his identity.
But Tinubu fired back, saying Atiku and his party are confused, and in utter disarray they are busy chasing shadow over his qualification.
In a statement signed by his special assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said Tinubu has refused to open himself up for scrutiny but has continued to evade debates, non-partisan town hall meetings and live interviews.
He further alleged that Tinubu’s entire life and persona is based on falsehood and thus he cannot address these questions, hence his decision to continue to run all over the place.
Shaibu who stated that the controversies surrounding Tinubu did not begin today recalled that in 2007 a former head of the civil service of Lagos State, Abdulrafiu Babatunde Tinubu, one of the eldest members of the Tinubu family, published a book titled, “Onijumu Wura: The Tinubu Dynasty of Kakawa, Lagos (The Tree)”
Shaibu, who noted that Atiku’s history has never been in doubt, said his father was Garba Abubakar, a Fulani trader and farmer while Atiku’s mother was Aisha Kande.
He stated: “Atiku was named after his paternal grandfather Atiku Abdulqadir who hails from Wurno, Sokoto State and migrated to Kojoli village at Jada, Adamawa State. His maternal grandfather was Inuwa Dutse who migrated to Jada, Adamawa State from Dutse, Jigawa State.
“Where is Tinubu from? Who are his parents? Who was Tinubu’s father? What was his name? What is Tinubu’s full name? Is it Bolatito, Omobolanle, Abolaji, Bolarinwa?
“While it is not uncommon for leaders to use a short version of their names, most times, for the purpose of stylistic rendition, the full outlay of their names is nonetheless public knowledge.
“However, it is confounding that in the case of the APC presidential candidate, he is simply known as Bola Tinubu. No one knows the prefix or suffix to his ‘Bola.’”
Shaibu further claimed that Tinubu also seems to have moved from infancy directly to university in the United States of America, hence his record as the only presidential candidate in the history of Nigeria not to include his primary and secondary school information on his INEC Form CF001.
“Earlier in 1999, while contesting for the governorship of Lagos State, he lied on oath that he attended St. Paul’s School, Aroloya and Government College Ibadan but his credentials were soon challenged by the late legendary lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) even as it had been established that Tinubu had no classmates in primary or secondary school.
“Eager to avoid another embarrassing scrutiny, he has now decided to be silent about his primary and secondary education. Rather than tell the truth, his Campaign Spokesman, Festus Keyamo, shamelessly stated on Arise Television that Tinubu did not attend primary or secondary school and should thus be commended for beating the odds.”
Shaibu said Nigerians need to know if the man seeking to become their president is known “as Adebola, Ajibola or, perhaps, it’s just simply: Bola (lokan)?
But hitting back, Tinubu said the PDP and its presidential candidate were chasing shadow over his qualification.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by director, Media & Publicity, of the APC presidential campaign council, Bayo Onanuga, the former Lagos governor described PDP’s allegations as “another attempt at shadow boxing.
Tinubu said Atiku and PDP are lashing on every straw available because they are seized with fear that the election is once again lost.
The statement noted: “Having failed to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians on its 16 years of infamous, criminal sabotage of our fatherland, in which Atiku as the overseer of the privatisation of our national assets programme, shortchanged our people, the PDP has just woken up to the reality that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ s sure victory in the presidential election of 25 February, 2023 is inevitable.
“Hence this desperate resort to character assassination and innuendoes. If only the PDP would go back to its records, it would have realised that the same campaign of reckless calumny was its stock in trade in the governorship campaigns in Lagos State in 2003. It had also been a subject of investigation by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“In the 2003 election, the masses in Lagos punished the PDP for its malicious campaign and rejected the party massively at the polling booths.”
Onanuga said it is unfortunate that the PDP and its presidential candidate have chosen to revive a dead allegation, knowing that the 2023 presidency is again slipping away.
“Atiku, who once confessed he was the mastermind of the electoral assault by the PDP against the Alliance for Democracy in the 2003 election in the South West , is shamelessly back at his game, showing no contrition that the courts overturned the rigged victories,” he noted.
The APC campaign team said INEC has confirmed that its candidate is qualified to contest the election, assuring that Tinubu will defeat his opponents in the 2023 election.
Onanuga continued: “We however sympathise with Atiku and his mudslinging agents. We know why they are lashing on every straw available. They are seized with fear that the election is once again lost.
“With the massive turnout of the Nigerian people to welcome our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Kaduna, Minna, Abuja and other parts of Nigeria in the last one week, it is obvious that they are running after a train that has left the station.
“The Constitution of the Republic is very clear on the rights of a citizen to contest for president. Our candidate has fulfilled those conditions. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the impartial umpire has affirmed that he is qualified to run.
“But the PDP and Atiku are utterly confused and in serious disarray and running round in circles like a barber’s chair looking for what is not lost.”
