Atiku repeats charge, Tinubu ‘lives in shadowy garb’

Atiku repeats charge, ‘Tinubu’s identity, education, health’ are in question

By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor

“Tinubu’s identity, education, health continue to be the key issues about what the APC is offering to Nigerians. A candidate whose profile is more rooted in inflated edification of disbeliefs.”

This is the take of Atiku Abubakar on Bola Tinubu in response to a statement Tinubu issued through All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Media and Publicity Director General Bayo Onanuga.

“I must confess that I consider the statement a curious endnote to what Onanuga, referred to as ‘A warning to Nigerians’.

“In the said statement, Onanuga laboured, albeit unsuccessfully, to paint the PDP, presidential candidate as patently dishonest,” Atiku lamented in his own statement issued through his Media Assistant Phrank Shaibu.

“I am aware that we are in the season of fireworks, when exchange of long-range artillery shells and small arms fire are supposed to dominate political communication in Nigeria but I get the sense that Onanuga went over the top when he described Atiku as ‘a man who is not prepared for the job he is applying for and a man who cannot be entrusted with our commonwealth.’

Bad public relations for Tinubu

“Onanuga’s statement is bad public relations for the APC presidential candidate, for a good public relations doesn’t consist in attacking a critical public opinion. It seeks to create understanding instead.

“If you face a PR challenge, like the Tinubu presidential campaign outfit suffers at the moment, talking down to the critical public or an opponent is like approaching a problem by methods that could make it worse.

“It is shameful and unfortunate that all that the APC can rely upon to campaign is what former President [Olusegun] Obasanjo had said.

“It is obvious that what the ruling party is hoping to achieve is to continue in their old habit of obfuscation and taking attention of the electorate away from issues that are critical to the this election season.

“While we will not waste much time to educate the APC and their presidential candidate to note that self-same … Obasanjo has made commendable remarks about Atiku which outdates the old story that they will want recycled to confuse the public.

“However, our reaction to the APC is that currently, their party has pushed Nigeria deeper into the abyss of poverty, insecurity, indebtedness.

Challenge for APC

“It will be good to challenge the APC to acknowledge one aspect of Nigeria’s national life where they have not reversed the fortunes of the country compared to what was handed to them in 2015.

“It is for this reason that Nigerians have roundly rejected the ruling party and what the likes of Bayo Onanuga will want to achieve is to fabricate old tales, such that will take attention away from the hardship that the APC has lunched on a large percentage of Nigerians.

“The other issue that is critical to this election season is the shifty persona of the presidential candidate of the APC.

“From all available public records, former governor of Lagos State and self-acclaimed national leader of the APC, Ahmed Tinubu, lives in shadowy garb.

“Tinubu’s identity, education, health continue to be the key issues about what the APC is offering to Nigerians. A candidate whose profile is more rooted in inflated edification of disbeliefs.

“We know that the only reason that the APC is re-presenting an old story about Atiku is because they are aware of the rejection of their party and its presidential candidate by Nigerians.

“On the contrary, Atiku continues to appear with media town hall engagements and assuring Nigerians of his plans to recover the country from the ruins that the APC has made of it.”

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Atiku selling false promises, Tinubu warns voters

Atiku, presidential candidate of the PDP, was reacting to the statement Tinubu earlier issued through Onanuga saying the PDP should be ashamed of its appalling governance between 1999 and 2015.

“We need to warn Nigerians to be wary of the sugar-coated promises of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and his PDP as they embark on their inordinate and desperate campaign to gain power at all costs,” Onanuga fired off, per Vanguard

“Of course, this is fake history at its worst. We are not fooled. Nigerians should also not be fooled about the bare-faced lies, being articulated by the candidate and his party.

“What is more shocking is Atiku’s audacity in standing up to ask for our votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote about him in his book, ‘My Watch’.

“Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unpardonable mistake ‘and sin against God to foist him on Nigeria.’ Obasanjo still believes so till tomorrow.

“Obasanjo still rues till today making Atiku his vice president in 1999, only to discover later, as stated in the former president’s book, his (Atiku’s) shadowy parentage, his propensity [for] corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest.

Atiku lying to grab power, says Tinubu

“Aware that this is his last shot at the elusive presidency, Atiku, while on the hustings, has been spewing series of lies, making empty promises and presenting a false narrative about our present reality and the legacy of the 16-year ignoble era of the PDP administration, of which he was a principal actor.

“He claimed at his rally in Abuja on Saturday that the country is not secure for trading and farming, a false narrative that he has been pushing around for some time, since he relocated to Nigeria from his base in Dubai, principally to contest the election.

“We believe in his private moment that Atiku will concede that his view about insecurity is exaggerated.

“Our country is certainly better secure than in 2015 when the PDP allowed insurgents to seize 17 local councils in Borno and some four councils in Atiku’s home state of Adamawa State, when Abuja was under constant bomb attacks and people slept with eyes wide open.

Proof of progress under APC administration

“What further proof of progress made by the APC does Atiku need than the fact that he was able, recently, to carry his party men and women to Maiduguri to hold a rally, without any attacks by insurgents and bandits.

“Atiku can also drive smoothly from Yola, his state capital, to Jada, his home town, on a reconstructed road by the Buhari-led APC administration. The road was impassable for eight years Atiku was vice president and got progressively bad and totally cut off from civilisation until the Buhari government reconstructed it.

“Atiku claimed that our country has the highest number of out-of school children in the world, without telling his audience that the problem, which was exacerbated by banditry in North-West and insurgency in North-East, took its root from the stewardship of his party when the population of out-of-school children phenomenally rose from 10.5 million in 2010 to 13.2 million in 2015.

“The most grotesque of Atiku’s promise is that he will ensure that the ASUU stopped going on strike, so that universities ‘reopen forever and ever.’

“Mr. Atiku forgot to tell his audience that a PDP government in 2009 signed an agreement with ASUU, which it never implemented for six years, leaving the mess of the agreement for APC to deal with.

Atiku has not changed his character

“Meanwhile, as Nigerian universities were left to rot under the PDP’s watch, Atiku and his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, opted to set up their own universities, ABTI-American University and Bell University, meant for the children of the rich.

“A pointer that this former vice president has not changed in his character as portrayed by Obasanjo and his promise to sell the newly commercialised NNPC Ltd and all its assets and subsidiaries for just $10 billion.

“Even before inviting bids, he had already undervalued the oil conglomerate, the way he undervalued Nigerian companies he was asked to sell, under the abused privatisation programme of the Obasanjo administration.”