5th January, 2023
The Atiku and Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization is of the opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari has stayed away from the presidential campaign of Bola Tinubu because the APC presidential candidate lacks integrity.
The opinion was aired in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan in response to the comments made by Tinubu in Kano.
Tinubu in an unread speech prepared for the APC rally told Kano State people not to be deceived by allowing the PDP to return to power under any guise as, according to him, it would be a return to maladministration in all areas.
He accused the PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar of not having anything to offer after being part of the PDP administration that plundered Nigeria’s wealth as vice president.
According to the APC flag bearer, Wike was right when he declared that Atiku had no integrity.
He accused Atiku of establishing a university too expensive for Nigerians to attend while in office as Vice President.
Tinubu urged the people of the state to vote for him in next month’s presidential election.
Reacting to Tinubu’s speech, Atiku’s team said it is absurd that Tinubu beleaguered by several allegations could muster the courage to address any gathering whatsoever on the issue of integrity.
The statement from the Atiku team reads;
“Is it not an absurdity that a presidential candidate that is beleaguered by several allegations bordering on corruption, perjury, identity theft, inconsistencies in name as well as alleged narcotics offence, for which he forfeited a gargantuan sum of $460,000 to the United States of America, could muster the courage to address any gathering whatsoever on the issue of integrity.
“Has Asiwaju Tinubu defended the identity theft of the picture of former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, which was deliberately used by his campaign organization to portray him as a bright youngman?
“The Atiku/Okowa campaign says the continuous absence of President Buhari at the APC presidential campaigns showcases a concern by Mr President that Tinubu, because of his lack of integrity, will lose a free, fair and credible poll at the February 25 presidential election.
“Our campaign also holds that President Buhari is distancing himself from the Tinubu’s campaign because of the inability of the APC presidential candidate to provide convincing explanation on his links to the alleged forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States authorities in a narcotics related matter.
“We, therefore, counsel Tinubu to stop dishing empty promises to Nigerians since compatriots are yet to recover from similar events which he led in the past.
“We urge Nigerians to continue to give their support to the leading presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the collective drive to rescue and rebuild our nation.”
In another development, the National Chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, denied meeting with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
A statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, explained that the photos in circulation were taken in the past.
“Dr. Ayu clearly said that he never traveled to Port Harcourt and has not set eyes on Governor Wike lately.
“The photograph trending on social media is an old one. The story accompanying it is, therefore, false and mischievous,” the statement reads.