The Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders (CONYL) has expressed disappointment over the statement credited to the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, criticising the honours recently accorded Seyi Tinubu.
The President-General of CONYL, Goodluck Ibem, who issued a statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend described Atiku as an attention seeker.
Ibem said it was unfortunate that Atiku, who should be talking about serious state matters to add value to the nation having held the position of a Vice- President would reduce himself to a beer parlour gossip.
“This shows he (Atiku) has lost relevance and has nothing serious to offer to our nation”, he said.
He recalled that the Community Auxiliary Development for Effective Transformation Network (CADETN) is the organisation behind the guard of honor mounted for Seyi.
He said the group had come out to clarified that it was a youth-focused voluntary group similar to Man O’ War and Peace Corps, and not affiliated with the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He said the Corps Commander, Josh Fatoye, had explained that such guards of honor were standard protocol for welcoming dignitaries at their events and were not exclusive to Seyi Tinubu.
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Ibem said Fatoye also explained that the organization did not use military paraphernalia or live ammunition during the ceremony, but wooden crafted dummy rifles, a common practice among similar uniformed groups.
He said: “The Nigerian Army has stated that it was not behind the quarter guard salute accorded to Seyi Tinubu. What is Atiku looking for?.
“The clarifications from both groups confirm that the honors were conducted by a civilian voluntary organization without any official military involvement.
“The whole scenario is a confirmation that Atiku is still suffering from the trauma of the series of presidential elections he lost from 2007 to 2023. The blows of electoral defeat is still very hot on him.
“We therefore call on Atiku to leave Seyi Tinubu alone because he is very busy with serious matters that is impacting lives for good”.