As campaigns for the 2023 general election gradually come to an end, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, has made a special appeal to the electorate to reject one of his major rivals, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when they go to the polls on Saturday.
Based on the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), campaigns for the presidential election which commenced on September 28, 2022, will end on February 23 – three days before the election.
Four major contenders that would be slugging it out with each other are Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate; Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party; Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC; and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shaibu, urged voters to not fall for Tinubu’s message of “hopelessness” disguised as ‘Renewed Hope’.
Tinubu, alongside his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, unveiled their manifesto titled ‘Renewed Hope’ in October.
Shaibu said, “It is one week to the election, and expectedly, campaigns have reached fever pitch. But amid the excitement and tension, voters must guard their hearts jealously as the ruling APC will try to use every subterfuge and stratagem in its manual to deceive them once more. These last days are similar to the end time predicted in the Holy books.
“Nigerians must not let themselves to be deceived by this corn-man selling renewed hopelessness disguised as renewed hope. Your hope will be stolen from you if he is allowed to govern Nigeria. That indeed will be a state of hopelessness – hell on earth, frying pan to fire.
“Tinubu says the petrol scarcity and the naira shortage are aimed at scuttling his ambition. Later, he and his acolytes said they were only voicing out against the policy out of sheer concern for the masses. These are people who never muttered a word when students spent 10 months at home in 2020 and eight months at home in 2022 due to unprecedented university lecturers’ strike.
“These are people that never criticised the President at the height of the insecurity when school children were being abducted almost on a daily basis and when the naira witnessed a free fall that led to a sharp increase in the price of goods.
“Someone needs to tell Tinubu and his band of APC governors to please give up this irritating ostentatious performance of moral propriety. They are not angry about the naira redesign because they love the masses. They are only angry that their plan to unleash bullion vans on poor Nigerians has been thwarted.”
Speaking further, Shaibu mentioned some alleged attributes that make Tinubu unfit to lead the country.
He said, “Tinubu has turned Lagos State into his personal fiefdom by arrogating all powers to himself so much so that even the current Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, publicly refers to him as ‘my principal’, clear evidence that Tinubu is far above the constitutionally recognised authority in the state.
“In 2018, Tinubu orchestrated the removal of respected former Edo State Governor John Oyegun and ensured that his servile lackey, Adams Oshiomhole, emerged as the national chairman of the APC.
Through Oshiomhole, he undermined several governors in their states and went on to suspend them including Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State who described Tinubu as ‘Capo Di Tutti’, a term of Italian origin often used to describe the overall boss within a mafia family or group.
“After undermining Amosun, Tinubu ensured that Dapo Abiodun emerged governor. He would later scornfully describe Governor Abiodun as ‘eleyi’, meaning ‘this thing’ just because the governor decided to back the more charismatic Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo for President.
“In Lagos State, Tinubu publicly ridiculed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, treating him like a houseboy. He asked Ambode to drop his ambition for a second term despite his many achievements in the state.
When northern governors and even President Buhari pleaded with Tinubu to let the young man continue in office, Tinubu rejected their entreaties, embarrassing the president in the process.
“On the day of the APC primary, those who planned on voting for Ambode were prevented from doing so as seen in many viral videos. In fact, Clement Ebri, who had been detailed to supervise the exercise, clearly stated that there was no primary in Lagos until he was forced to recant.
“Tinubu’s overbearing nature put him on a collision course with many governors, notably Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, who even offered to help the people of Lagos State to put an end to godfatherism.
Today, el-Rufai has become Tinubu’s man Friday all because he has been promised the position of Chief of Staff. This is not the kind of man that should lead Nigeria.”