The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, can’t stand an hour-long television interview.
This was disclosed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar on Saturday.
Mr Atiku was exacting to the ruling party’s candidate criticisms of his exclusive interview on Arise TV aired on Friday.
Reacting to Mr Atiku’s interview, the Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) said the PDP candidate is not prepared for the job he is desperately seeking for.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Tinubu campaign said, “We have watched Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s interview on a national television and were extremely shocked by the many lies and ignorance displayed by the PDP presidential candidate.
“In the interview, Atiku exposed himself as a man who is not prepared for the job he is applying for and a man who cannot be entrusted with our commonwealth.@
In his reaction to the Tinubu campaign allegations, Mr Atiku said in a statement by his spokesperson Paul Ibe on Saturday that Tinubu should take up the interview challenge.
The Atiku statement said, “We would like to challenge Bola Tinubu to subject himself to an hour long interview, like the Waziri did, and if he is able to be as articulate and mentally present as our candidate, then he can talk. Until then, we will only want to remind him and his yes men that they are not in a position to point fingers when they have not sat on the hot seat,” Atiku said in a statement which Paul Ibe, his Media Adviser, issued on his behalf.
Mr Ibe said the former vice president was “amused to read the knee jerk response from the Tinubu Campaign Organisation to the wave making interview granted by Atiku Abubakar”.
On Atiku violating public service rules as a Customs officer, he said the Tinubu campaign “exposed its gross desperation and vacuousness by citing the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) 1999, to declare Waziri Atiku Abubakar’s stance on engaging in a side business while he was a young custom officer as a breach of the law. It is pertinent to educate the Tinubu campaign organisation that Nigeria is not under a military regime and our Constitutions are not retroactive in nature.”
“Atiku Abubakar has earned Masters degree from Anglia Ruskin University. We challenge any of the present Presidential candidates to present an equal or higher degree. Moreover, his university attendance is a matter of verified record. Can we say the same about some other persons?”
*In conclusion, we would like to challenge Bola Tinubu to subject himself to an hour long interview, like the Waziri did, and if he is able to be as articulate and mentally present as our candidate, then he can talk. Until then, we will only want to remind him and his yes men that they are not in a position to point fingers when they have not sat on the hot seat.”
