The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has swallowed more than he chewed for throwing punches at Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate and Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel.
At a mammoth crowd during the APC Presidential campaign at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Monday, January 30, Tinubu referred to Governor Emmanuel as ‘a boy.’
The APC candidate said, “Akwa Ibom, you will not suffer again. That ‘boy’ [Emmanuel Udom] that brought Atiku here, that calls himself governor, tell him enough is enough. He lives in my backyard in Lagos. If not that we are one, I’d have driven him home. You see that mansion he is living, I would just use lizards, pigeons and scorpions and put inside.’’
Also read: 2023: Bola Tinubu wins APC presidential ticket
He also called Atiku Abubakar, a former ‘Senate President,’ instead of Vice President.
Tinubu also made an allusion to when Atiku fell out with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and he was given the platform of the then Action Congress (AC) to contest the 2007 presidency.
“They don’t have a mandate; what they have na ice cream. E melt quick. You gave me their yeye people… Atiku, when we make am senate president, haba! You sell this, you sell that assets, our common wealth…everything that we have,” he said.
“I am the one that rescued him from Obasanjo who wanted to roast him like goat meat… He ran away to Dubai, and when the election came again, he came for stomach infrastructure. He came to Lagos. We rehabilitated him and gave him a ticket but he wasted it and used it to collect money.
“He faced Obasanjo, faced Buhari and failed. He failed with Jonathan. He failed in all his subjects. You better watch him before he starts selling the little palm trees that you have left. What we need to do is to develop our country. We have enough gas reservoirs on our land.”
However, fact-check shows that Tinubu was economical with truth in that by 1999, he contested and won as Lagos State Governor under Alliance for Democracy (AD) while Atiku contested and won as a Vice President under PDP and had never contested any legislative position before.
Gov Emmanuel’s reaction
But reacting few hours later, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel says Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has nothing to bring to the table for Nigerians, hence his decision to abuse people and rain insults during his presidential campaigns.
He has also said that despite being insulted by the one-time Lagos State Governor, he would prefer to allow peace to reign by ignoring him and focusing on helping install good governance to rescue Nigerians from their present woes.
The governor said, for the country to remain at peace, one party must ‘play saint’ and that is why he would refrain from replying Tinubu.
Emmanuel who is the Chairman of the PDP presidential campaigns stated that, “I also go to other states, and if you watch our campaigns, my principal (Atiku Abubakar) has never spoken about any Governor, he has never spoken openly about Asiwaju before.”
He described as unfortunate that Tinubu, who was granted state- owned facilities such as the airport, security, stadium, and a good atmosphere to come in and sell his manifesto, ended up coming to insult the integrity of over 7.9 million Akwa Ibom people.
The Governor wondered if it is possible for any Akwa Ibomite to go to Lagos that Tinubu stays or the actual State that he hails from, to insult Tinubu in like manner and still be allowed to safely return home, “but here our people at the Stadium including some state governors just laughed and applauded him.”
“What makes him think he will govern Nigeria? If I reply him now, people will call me and say, haba oga, you are not like that. But I will reply him one day. There is nothing like ‘emilokan’ (it is my turn). Here, Nigeria is in God’s hands.”
Atiku’s aide reacts
In another counter-attack, Phrank Shaibu, a Special Assistant, Public Communication to Atiku hit Bola Tinubu, APC Presidential Candidate, over what he described as his ”gaffes” since the inception of the 2023 electioneering campaign.
Shaibu wrote ‘’Since he made his intention to contest for the presidency public, the former Lagos State governor has been under strict scrutiny by Nigerians for his alleged poor health condition.
‘’The constant gaffes of All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, which started as a comic relief is slowly becoming a tragedy, an embarrassment to Nigeria, Africa’s largest nation.”
According to him, ‘‘Since Tinubu declared his intention to contest, he has made over 20 gaffes publicly. These gaffes, which have provided online skit makers with comic content, are no longer a laughing matter but a tragic embarrassment to a nation in dire need of salvation.
‘‘I make bold to say that, apart from his questionable background and records, Tinubu’s endless gaffes and miscues are effects of his failing health. His degenerate mental faculty is a clear and present danger to national security. A man who lacks clear control of his mental faculties cannot lead a nation.
‘‘But this would not be the first time the so-called Lagos godfather would put his ignorance on national display. Some months ago, he said he planned on recruiting 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army in order to solve the unemployment problem. Sadly, those within his circle gave him a standing ovation at the event in Kano rather than correct him.
‘‘Next, he called on Nigerians to go and renew their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as they would expire ahead of the election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had to swiftly issue a statement after Tinubu’s utterance began causing panic in the polity.
‘‘Tinubu at his Lagos rally asked Nigerians to get their APV in order to vote for APC when even primary school children know that the PVC (Permanent Voter Card) is the only item that admits a voter into a polling unit.
‘‘If Tinubu were contesting for the position of Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic (GCFR), his gaffes would have been appropriately classified as jokes. But he is running for the most exalted office in the land. Hence, these gaffes must not be overlooked.
‘‘Imagine Bola Tinubu with a demeanour similar to that of comedian Klint da Drunk representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly. Let us imagine him making such gaffes at meetings with world leaders. Nigeria would become the butt of jokes across the world.
‘‘Nigerians must note that the Bola Tinubu who served as governor from 1999 to 2007 is different from the Bola Tinubu of today. The Bola Tinubu of today lacks the capacity to lead a nation of 200 million people most of whom are living in abject poverty.
‘‘It is really not about his age since many leaders across the world are also advanced in age. It is about his mien, his utterances and faux pas. These are things that can no longer be ignored. In a bid to deceive the electorate, Tinubu and his allies have been saying that what Tinubu lacks in physical capacity, he makes up for it in intelligence because “Presidency of Nigeria is not wrestling but brain work.”
‘‘But sadly, it seems Tinubu’s physical strength is actually superior to his mental capacity, going by his numerous embarrassing utterances. Last Christmas, comedian Sabinus, based his entire stage performance on Tinubu’s many gaffes. The audience that gathered were almost rolling on the floor.
‘‘On the surface, this might be funny but when one considers the fact that Tinubu is the candidate of the ruling party, it becomes all the more tragic. Tinubu’s handlers know about his declining mental capacity hence their refusal to let him attend debates or live interviews.
‘‘These handlers of Tinubu who are now acting like a cabal believe that if he gets into Aso Rock, he will have the best medical attention while he will delegate important activities of state to them.
‘‘This is also the reason Tinubu has been depending on his surrogates to address important discussions. Even at Chatham House, London, Tinubu could not boldly answer the questions directed at him, preferring to hide under the excuse that he “believes in working with an unbreakable team”. This is funny since his dictatorial tendency has chased away Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from his camp.
‘‘However, it must be noted that Aso Rock is neither a sanatorium nor a mental institution. To that extent Nigerians have a right to demand that any aspirant to that office should be in the best state of health.
‘‘Tinubu doesn’t believe in teamship. He is hiding his deficiencies and mental incapacity. Nigerians must not allow themselves to be deceived by this charlatan who claims to have built Lagos from scratch but cannot debate a simple economic policy without begging his handlers to bail him out.”
