Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, has been referred to by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential contender Atiku Abubakar as an absent candidate.
According to a statement sent by the former vice president’s spokesperson Phrank Shaibu on Wednesday, Nigerians won’t elect a “ghost President.”
Shaibu charged Tinubu with avoiding public scrutiny and employing proxies to respond to inquiries that should only be directed at competitors.
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The former Lagos governor’s town hall meeting with the organised private sector prompted the response (OPS).
Shaibu claimed Tinubu “dodged” the invitation from the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) but “arranged his own” at the same location as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) convention he skipped.
The aide said after reading out his speech, Tinubu sat on the high table and systematically avoided questions.
His aides spoke more than he did at the event, an indication that he didn’t even need to be there in the first place.
Clearly Tinubu plans to run a proxy government in the unfortunate event that he wins the presidential election.
Shaibu said that Tinubu spoke about how Governor Nasir El-Rufai changed a “rotten scenario to a horrible one” during the KADInvest programme in October.
According to the aide, Tinubu unveiled his idea to enlist 50 million young people in the military last year in Kano to combat unemployment.
Shaibu also recalled the APC candidate’s advice to Nigerians to update their expiring Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) responded to the remark.
The PDP said that Tinubu’s managers had continued to protect him from open public interactions and scrutiny because Nigerians “would not overlook ominous indicators.”
The opposition further attacked the APC candidate’s claim that he just needs mental fortitude to lead rather than physical fortitude.
Atiku’s camp is hoping that Tinubu will have the guts to show up to a presidential debate, noting that citizens have suffered under the APC’s “seven years of misrule.”
