The aides of the presidential candidates of both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party has continued to trade words over the non-attendance of the candidate of the APC in public debates and town hall meetings.
According to The PUNCH, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant (Public Communication) to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said on Sunday, said that Tinubu is hiding from the public in order to evade scrutiny.
He stated this through a press statement titled, “Reveal your real name, background, Atiku campaign dares Tinubu.”
He said, Tinubu’s refusal to “open himself up for scrutiny but continues to evade debates, non-partisan town hall meetings and live interviews”, has exemplified the biblical theory that, “the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
The statement read, “Atiku Abubakar’s history has never been in doubt. His father was Garba Abubakar, a Fulani trader and farmer while Atiku’s mother was Aisha Kande. 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 stylistic rendition, the full outlay of their names is nonetheless public knowledge.
“In the Second Republic, such names as Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige, Bisi Akande and many more from the Southwest region are brand names of great political icons. But even as it were, everyone knew that the Governor of Ogun State in the Second Republic was known in full as Olabisi Onabanjo, ditto for Ajibola Ige and the rest of such examples.
“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.’”
In reaction, the APC Presidential Campaign Council, has told the PDP to stop chasing shadows.
The Director of Media and Publicity for Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, stated that members of Atiku’s camp are jittery and have resorted to chasing shadows because they know that Tinubu will emerge winner in the forth coming election.
The statement read in part, “We were not surprised that the desperate Atiku camp, faced with mounting setbacks in its campaign, will engage in another round of mudslinging after it failed to make any capital over its amplified allegation of drug dealing against our candidate.
“This latest allegation, we must say is another attempt at shadowboxing. 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 and shortchanged our people.”
