President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not need to reintroduce himself to Nigerians who voted for him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday.
The ruling party dismissed the call by the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the February 25 poll, Peter Obi, that he should reveal his identity to Nigerians.
The former Anambra State governor called on President Tinubu to speak out on his Chicago State University (CSU) academic record on a day the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s Global Disinformation Team reported that there was no evidence that the president submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the election.
The Chicago State University (CSU), on Atiku Abubakar ‘s request, has ordered by a court, release President Tinubu’s records.
The former vice president has sought the relive of the Supreme Court to tender those documents as fresh evidence in his appeal against the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) judgment, which dismissed his petition against Tinubu’s victory as “unmeritorious”.
Obi is also before the Supreme Court challenging the outcome of the PEPC judgment.
Obi, who through his party, had rejected Atiku’s call on him and another former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso, to join him in disparaging President Tinubu, did an about turn yesterday.
He told reporters yesterday that President Tinubu should “tell Nigerians who he is,” adding that they deserved to know his true name and everything relating to his educational career.
He said only the president can put to rest the controversy surrounding his identity.
However, APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, a lawyer, chided Obi and Atiku.
The ruling party said both Obi and Atiku, who are contesting the victory of the president at the poll, have invented a “spurious and imaginary identity crisis” to incite the public.
In the statement titled: ‘Shame as Peter Obi jumps on Atiku Abubakar’s bandwagon,’ the spokesman said the two litigants have polluted the public space with their consistent deception, adding that they have become accusers and judges in their cases against the president.
Taking exception to Obi’s allusion to identity question, Morka said Nigerians knew President Tinubu, who had served them as senator and governor before he was voted as president.
Also yesterday, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who spoke on a national television, said Obi and Atiku were suffering from the “traumatic effect of electoral defeat”, stressing that they had regressed to “a level of absurdity”.
APC: Obi, Atiku inciting Nigerians
The ruling party condemned Obi’s outbursts, saying that he was inciting Nigerians to violence like his co-traveller, Atiku.
According to the APC, the two opposition figures have polluted the public space with the same spurious claims they had laid before the court.
The APC statement reads: “Like a befuddled mind jolted out of deep slumber, Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate, hugged a podium to echo a script authored by Atiku Abubakar, his senior partner and co-traveller on a dark ignominious alley to nowhere.
“At his press conference earlier today, Mr. Obi blathered on about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s identity and academic record, like a broken voice note of Atiku Abubakar, cutting a pitiful profile as though forced to read a prepared statement by his unimaginative handlers, and mendacious associates in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Unwilling to miss out in the orchestrated campaign of calumny against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his certificate from the Chicago State University, Obi jumped on the tailboard of Atiku’s bandwagon to satisfy his uncanny and insatiable thirst for cheap media attention, long after his Labour Party had dissociated itself from a bogus call to action by the former Vice President.
”In his drivel, Peter Obi, demanded that the President reintroduce himself to Nigerians, as though the 8.9 million Nigerians who voted him last February were all groggy when they made their free democratic choice.
”Mr. Obi must know that President Tinubu does not need a re-introduction. He does not have any identity problem, except the one contrived by the Atikus and Peters of our political firmament.
“The 8.9 million Nigerians who voted him into office were, and remain, aware of his outstanding record and accomplishments as a defender of democracy, freedom, social and economic justice for over three decades. Nigerians know President Tinubu as a thoroughbred professional and former auditor and treasurer of Mobil Nigeria, now ExxonMobil.
”Nigerians know the President as a former Senator of the Federal Republic where he served as Chairman of the influential Finance and Appropriations Committee.
”They know him as a former Governor of Lagos State who designed and paved the pathway to the growth and prosperity of present day Lagos, the 5th largest economy in Africa.
“Nigerians know who they voted for as the 16th President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They voted for him with full faith and confidence that his track record and wide competences would help in the re-engineering of our country’s economy for the good of the greatest number of Nigerians.
“In marked contrast, Nigerians have flatly and serially rejected Atiku Abubakar, and denied Peter Obi’s presidential bid in the last election election.
”Beyond regaling Nigerians with false and embarrassing statistics for which he has gained notoriety, Peter Obi cannot be said to be known for any outstanding performance as governor of Anambra State for eight years with no worthy legacy standing to his name.
”As for President Tinubu’s academic record at the Chicago State University, the facts are clear and settled except for those political jaundiced by the trauma of electoral defeat.
”The Chicago State University has unequivocally stated over and over again, and in a deposition, under oath, by the Registrar, Caleb Westberg that President Tinubu attended the school and graduated with Honours.
”Nigerians are now familiar with stellar academic performance of President Tinubu as evidenced by his transcript as released by the CSU with 18As, 10Bs and 3Cs grades.
”It is disturbing and utterly contemptuous of the courts of our land for the duo of Atiku and Obi to rail and pollute the public space with the very same issues that they have submitted to the court for adjudication. They have continued to perpetrate public deception, operating, simultaneously, as accusers and judges in their own base cause.
”We condemn the sordid and disgraceful attempt by Obi, Atiku and their cheerleaders to use the mainstream and social media to intimidate the judiciary, incite the public to violence, disparage Justices of the Appeal and Supreme Court, and we urge all well meaning Nigerians to condemn this anti-democratic and irresponsible conduct of both political naggers. For the records, our team of lawyers stand advised to explore all available judicial mechanisms towards bringing Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar to justice for their ceaseless contemptuous conduct.
“In our democracy, the office of the President is not filled by intimidation, blackmail or reckless self help. It is filled by the people, by their lawful votes at the polls just as they did on February 25, 2023 when they elected Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Basiru: Obi, Atiku bad losers
Dr. Basiru, a lawyer, described Obi and Atiku as bad losers raising unfounded allegations after losing the presidential election.
He said they should apologise to Nigerians by misleading them with the spurious allegation that President Tinubu never attended CSU.
The national secretary said their allusion to identity crisis underscored their shortfall in historical perception.
He said the curious identity question they had raised was ill-motivated, ill-advised and an attempt to dance to the gallery.
Basiru said it was laughable that Obi, who as governor refused to conduct local government elections in Anambra for eight years has turned around to pontificate on integrity, democracy and rule of law.
He wondered why Atiku, if he truly values his integrity, had not repudiated former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s description of him and he is not in court over the questioning of his integrity in his book “My Watch”.
He said both litigants should have kept their arguments within the temple of justice instead of fueling public sentiments.
Basiru, however, said President Tinubu is busy with state business, adding that he will not be distracted by those wearing garments of absurdity.
Igbo group to Obi, Atiku: don’t heat up polity
An Igbo group, Omaluegwuoku Progressive Initiative (OPI), flayed Obi and Atiku for heating up the polity by their utterances and actions.
Its President, Mrs Ginika Tor, advised the two opposition leaders to calm down, saying that Tinubu’s victory was divine and popular.
She advised the duo to refrain from distracting President Tinubu from delivering his “Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Tor, a member of the defunct All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, said if God had anointed Obi, he would have won the poll.
She said: ”How can you ask our president, a man that is the number one man in this country, to come out and explain his state? So, by now, a man who served eight years as a governor, you don’t know his state? He should tell us his background educationally? Is that right?
“It is an insult to Nigeria as a nation. For you to call out our President who was massively supported, elected, confirmed and validated as the President to come and stand before who? To say he’s from this state, from this country, from this region, from this locality. Does he owe us that? What the President owe us now is to take us to our destination of choice.
“So, I am disappointed. Whatever Obi does now is going to play out in the future. So, let us be cautious and let all Igbos not be misled by this press interview.”
