The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has slammed his competitor, Atiku Abubakar, who berated his choice of Kashim
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has slammed his competitor, Atiku Abubakar, who berated his choice of Kashim Shettima as a running mate.
In an interview on Arise TV on Friday, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party claimed that his point of political departure from Tinubu was the latter’s desire for a single faith ticket.
However, Tinubu in a statement signed by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, on Saturday, faulted Atiku claims.
In the statement, Tinubu was quoted as saying, “Atiku has no business raising the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket except as a hypocrite. Perhaps he believes people have forgotten his antics during the 1993 election.
“After he woefully lost his bid to be the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, what did he do? He canvassed and lobbied harder than anyone to become the running mate to late Chief MKO Abiola. When it benefitted him personally, Atiku did not see anything wrong with Muslim-Muslim ticket. He saw everything right in such a ticket as long as he was on it.
“Now, Atiku criticises my selection as running mate based on religion. He does so because he cannot criticise it on other ground.”
Also concerning Atiku’s claim that he rejected Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 because he is opposed to fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the interest of the country’s unity, Tinubu denied it.
Tinubu accused Atiku of demeaning himself by pandering to base prejudice at a moment Nigeria needs true leadership.
The statement read in part, “We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological.
“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.”
Tinubu explained that contrary to Abubakar’s position, he and the then Action Congress of Nigeria had helped him out in 2007 after he was frozen out by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and forced out of the PDP.
He said, “I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.
“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the vice presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.”
