…berates APC candidate for threatening Gov. Emmanuel

By John Alechenu, Abuja

The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization has expressed disgust that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, has resorted to issuing threats and intimidating opponents in the face of imminent defeat.

It specifically berated Tinubu for issuing threats of violence to the Chairman of the PDP, Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, at the APC Campaign Rally held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said, “Our Campaign condemns in very strong terms the resort to threats by Senator Tinubu, who is now trying to transfer his annoyance over his failed campaign as well as the frustration of crushing rejection by Nigerians to the PDP Presidential Campaign.

“It is pathetic that Tinubu, finding it extremely difficult to handle his impending defeat, is now plagued by deep-seated pains, frustration and anger against successful Nigerians which manifested in his attack on the person of Emmanuel.

“It is crude, to say the least, for Tinubu to have threatened Gov Emmanuel with chasing him (Emmanuel), a democratically elected governor, out of Lagos State.

“Nigerians can now imagine how autocratic a Tinubu Presidency, God forbids, will turn out as vicious, disrespectful, harassing, intimidating and subduing.

“It is however instructive to note that Tinubu is clearly intimidated by Udom Emmanuel’s towering achievements as well as his deft management of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council which have further fortified Akwa Ibom and other states of the federation as PDP strongholds, completely impenetrable to the APC at all levels ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“Our Campaign has been made aware of how Tinubu expressed frustration when, upon arriving Akwa Ibom State, he was confronted by massive infrastructural development and citizen empowerment achieved by Udom Emmanuel, which Tinubu was lacking during his tenure as Govern January 31, 2023

“Tinubu was said to have been comprehensively distressed by the heavy presence of the PDP in Akwa Ibom as well as the unshifting solidarity for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the state, for which Tinubu became angry with Udom Emmanuel, having been faced by the futility of campaigning in Akwa Ibom State.

“In any case, it is not Udom Emmanuel’s fault that Asiwaju does not have any landmark project he can point to as his achievement as Governor of Lagos State, neither is it his (Emmanuel) fault that Tinubu was not competent enough to put together an effective team to drive his Presidential campaign which has practically collapsed.“

He further explained that It is not Udom Emmanuel’s fault that Tinubu is plagued by corruption charges including reported conviction for trafficking in narcotic for which he forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the United State.

Ologbondiyan also said is it equally not the fault of the Akwa Ibom governor that Tinubu has a record of massive looting of Lagos State resources with his many Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) companies, cases of certificate forgery, perjury, identity theft, as well as inconsistencies in age, ancestry, educational qualifications among many others.

The PDP PCC Spokesperson also noted that Governor Udom Emmanuel is not responsible for Tinubu’s endless gaffes, articulation errors, incoherence, his many blunders, evident disconnection from reality for which he (Senator Tinubu) has become the butt of weird jokes among Nigerians.

He reiterated that it was important for Tinubu to know that Governor Emmanuel cannot be distracted from his excellent performance as the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council by his (Tinubu’s) unwarranted outbursts.

According to him, Tinubu should also know that Lagos State is not his fiefdom and he cannot determine who stays or whom he will chase out of Lagos.

“He should accept the fact that Nigerians have decided to vote for Atiku Abubakar as the next President of our country and his resort to bitter envy, threats and violence will not change Atiku’s impending victory, insha Allah.“ Ologbondiyan added.