Tinubu’s Ogun Speech Was Misinterpreted – Campaign Team

The presidential campaign organisation of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said that their principal’s speech in Abeokuta, Ogun State was misunderstood.

The Director, Media & Communications, Bayo Onanuga said this in a statement titled: APC Presidential Primaries: Erroneous Interpretation Of Asiwaju’s Pleas For Level Playing Field on Friday.

Recall that Tinubu had on Thursday, during his visit to solicit the support of the Ogun APC delegates boasted that he was the reason President Muhammadu Buhari won in 2015 and Governor Dapo Abidoun won in 2019.

The statement raised a lot of dust on Social Media, with different individuals and groups attacking the presidential aspirant’s outburst.

Reacting to the verbal attacks, Onanuga described it as an “erroneous, misleading and mischievous interpretation”.

He argued that the “history” Tinubu shared in Abeokuta are not hidden as it had been reported by different media houses in the last eight years. “They are therefore, matters of public knowledge,” he said.

He continued, “In his effort to convince the party delegates to vote for him at the primaries, he went down memory lane to provide specific instances when he brought his political clout and strategic skills to assist individuals, groups and tendencies in the party to gain political power.

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“While we recognise that recent unexpected interventions in the time table and the heat generated by the proximity of the event might have led to some anxiety, this campaign organisation believes that the main thrust of Asiwaju’s presentation, was that his huge contributions to the formation and electoral success of the All Progressives Congress should count in his favour as a true party man who desires to be the flag bearer.

“There is also no doubt that the fresh conditions proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari for the consideration of a presidential candidate of the party made it necessary for Asiwaju to labour to convince the delegates that he fits the bill.”

He expressed shock over the way “the opposition and Tinubu’s traducers had turned his statement to give an interpretation Tinubu did not mean and did not say.”

According to Onanuga, Tinubu is devoid of tribalism disrespect for any ethnic group.

He added that “Tinubu’s speech in Abeokuta did not demonstrate any disrespect to President Buhari, for whom he has a very high regard, and whose re-election campaign he chaired in 2019.”

He urged the media to shun sensationalism as they report issues and urged it to play its constitutional role of informing the electorate to make informed choices at the presidential primaries.