Tanko also debunked claims that Obi was working against Tinubu’s government, saying he has moved on since election
By Kehinde Okeowo
Chief Spokesman for the Obi/ Datti 2003 Presidential Campaign, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, has countered allegation by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga that Peter Obi introduced religion and ethnicity to the 2023 election.
Speaking in a chat with Vanguard, he advised Onanuga to stop insulting the collective intelligence of Nigerians.
It all started when the SA to the president accused the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, of invoking “religious and ethnic” sentiments during the 2023 polls while featuring on ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, a journalist with Channels Television.
He said: “What I know about the campaign of Obi was that for the first time in a very long while in our country, we had a candidate who was inflaming ethnic passion and that was the way the election went at that time, he was inflaming ethnic and religious passions, bringing two dangerous things to our politics: ethnicity and religion.”
He also alleged that Obi’s supporters are desperate to see the downfall of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
ALSO READ: Onanuga claims Obi introduced religion, ethnicity to 2023 polls
However, responding to Onanuga’s claims, Tanko urged him to stop insulting Nigerians’ intelligence, saying Tinubu’s Muslim/ Muslim ticket was more inciting.
He went on to say Onanuga was trying to rewrite history by making false claims against Obi.
“Mr. Onanuga must stop this insult on our collective intelligence. He, like his principal and the All Progressives Congress (APC), were the worst culprits, when it came to the issue of inflaming ethnic and religious passions.“ Tanko said.
He added: “Was it Peter Obi that used ‘Emilokan, Yoruba lokan’ and Muslim/ Muslim ticket; as a battle cry for the elections? What is he talking about? Was it Peter Obi that organised attacks on innocent Nigerians, whose only offence was attempting to exercise their civil duties by voting for candidates of their choice in Lagos and elsewhere?
“Where was Onanuga when his principal, now President Bola Tinubu, instructed supporters in a widely circulated video to ‘grab, snatch and run’ with power? What was more inciting than that?
“I challenge Mr. Onanuga to come out with one shred of evidence to prove that Mr. Peter Obi did any such thing before, during and after the election. I think he lives in the illusion that Nigerians have forgotten so soon.”
He also debunked Onanuga’s claims that Obi was working against Tinubu’s government, saying, “Mr. Obi has moved on since the election results were ‘grabbed, snatched and ran away with.
“His focus in all his engagements in private and in public has always been that of nation-building. Mr. Obi will not shy away from playing his role as a leading opposition figure when those who grabbed power are failing and forcing Nigerians to suffer unjustly.“
“If Onanuga expects us to sing the praises of his principal for making Nigeria a living hell with galloping inflation, rising food prices and insecurity, I’m afraid, he’ll continue to be disappointed.”