Your Memory May Be Failing - Atiku Fires Fresh Shot at Tinubu
Category: Nigeria News
The recent blame game between the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the flagbearer of the
Peoples Democratic,
Atiku Abubakar
took another twist today as the Atiku camp claims
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
might be suffering memory lose.
The heated exchanges started after
Atiku’s
interview that was aired on ARISE TV on Friday.
The PDP candidate
had said in 2007,
Tinubu
wanted to be his running mate in 2007 but he rejected it over Muslim-Muslim
ticket.
But
Tinubu
responded saying
Atiku
actually lobbied him to be his Vice-Presidential candidate in 2007.
The
Lagos Politician said Atiku, who attacked him over Muslim-Muslim ticket had no
problem with same-faith ticket in 2007, when he lobbied him (Tinubu) to be his running mate.
Subsequently, the Campaign Organization
of
Tinubu
issued a statement where they identified what was described as gaps in Atiku’s
interview.
In his response, Paul Ibe, Media Adviser of
Atiku,
had challenged
Tinubu
to an hour-long television interview.
While Tinubu was yet to
react to the challenge, the camp of Atiku fired a fresh salvo.
“We
have read the response from
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
to the groundbreaking interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to
Arise TV, and even though it was replete with indiscreet language, the former
Vice President has elected to respond to the claims made by Asiwaju.
“In responding, he has chosen the route of a friendly riposte, in
the hope that his gesture will be reciprocated by the Asiwaju in future. On
the issue of
Atiku Abubakar
offering to make Bola Tinubu his running mate in 2007, the Waziri says as a
statesman, which he believes
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
also is, or should be, it is pertinent that they use temperate language at all
times. It not only shows that they are seasoned and mature, more importantly,
it is a good indicator of fitness for the office.
“And that is why
it is our intention to respond to Asiwaju’s statement on
Atiku Abubakar’s Arise TV interview, not in the rather impolite manner that he dealt the
PDP presidential candidate, but in measured tones.
“The major
accusation made by
Asiwaju Tinubu
is that the Waziri Adamawa offered him the opportunity of being his running
mate in 2007, which means that the former Vice President was not then mindful
of Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity, making his statements during the
Arise TV interview hypocritical.
“We would not say that
Bola Tinubu
has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt, and
believe that his memory may not be what it used to be.
“Nigerians
may want to note that on 14 September, 2005, the then US Consul General, Brian
L. Browne, drafted a memo, leaked via Wikileaks, wherein he stated that Bola
Tinubu was scheming to be a running mate to either Atiku Abubakar or Muhammadu
Buhari.
“This is further historically corroborated by the
subsequent political history of Nigeria. Biographers of President Muhammadu
Buhari have variously recounted how Bola Tinubu made the same request of then
Presidential candidate
Muhammadu Buhari
in 2015.
“In his 2016 AUTHORIZED biography of President Muhammadu
Buhari titled ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria’, Professor John Paden, an
American, wrote about the issue as follows:
“Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and political ‘godfather’ of the
South-West geopolitical zone, felt he should be the vice-presidential
candidate.
“The above clearly shows a behavioral pattern here. So,
if anyone is “unhinged from the truth” (to borrow
Asiwaju Tinubu’s words), it certainly is not
Atiku Abubakar. In any case, if Bola Tinubu can forget the name of his own political party,
why will he not also forget what transpired in 2007 and 2015? We do sympathize
with him.
“The fact remains that in a fragile and ethnically
diverse nation, such as ours, religious and ethnic balance must be observed at
the highest levels, and from there flow downwards.
“That is what
Atiku Abubakar
said during his interview with Arise TV on Thursday, July 21, 2022, and he
stands on that principle and will continue to so stand without apology to
anyone. From the forgoing, it is clear that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar’s
memory and recollection of the event has been corroborated by multiple,
independent, and unconnected third parties, and if this were a court of law,
this issue would have been regarded as proved beyond reasonable doubt.
“We
would also like to remind Nigerians that even though multiple sources have
testified that Bola Tinubu desperately lobbied to be made Buhari’s deputy in a
Muslim-Muslim ticket, Bola Tinubu himself denied this on June 22, 2022, and
instead accused President Buhari of offering him the position of Vice
President.
“Which is exactly the same false allegation he has made
against
Atiku Abubakar. This is a pattern of behavior. Not owning up to his actions.
“Therefore, we hope this settles the matter, and that cordiality
can be expected henceforth from the opposing camp,” Atiku said in a statement
Ibe issued on his behalf.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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