The All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council has strongly rejected a report from a segment of the media that accused the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, of mocking the presidency during a rally in Cross River State. In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon by Bayo Onanuga, the PCC Director of Media and Publicity, it was clarified that Tinubu did not disparage the character of President Muhammadu Buhari at the event. Onanuga emphasized that Tinubu addressed a large crowd of party supporters and residents of Cross River State at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, urging them not to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, due to their extensive record of failures during their 16 years in power.
In defense of Tinubu, Onanuga pointed out that the former governor’s comments regarding the exchange rate were not intended as an attack on the Buhari administration. Instead, they were meant to highlight how the economic mismanagement by the PDP has contributed to the foreign exchange crisis in Nigeria since 2015. The statement noted, “We find it important to correct the misrepresentation of our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the campaign rally in Calabar yesterday by a section of the media, especially ThisDay Newspaper and its broadcast arm, Arise News.” Onanuga asserted that anyone who followed the full context of Tinubu’s remarks would understand that his criticisms were directed at the PDP and Atiku.
He reminded the public that the PDP left Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves at $28 billion in May 2015 when Buhari assumed office, despite receiving unprecedented revenue from crude oil. Onanuga further stated that, even in the face of significant oil theft and low crude prices, President Buhari had managed to increase the reserves to approximately $38 billion. He also highlighted that the PDP inherited an exchange rate of N85 to one US dollar in 1999 but left it at N230 in 2015.
The media director dismissed the attempts by PDP-affiliated media to misrepresent Tinubu’s statements, asserting that they did not detract from his main message. Tinubu had clearly stated that the people should not support the PDP and Atiku, as they lack the vision for Nigeria’s future. Onanuga noted that it would be illogical for Tinubu to suggest that President Buhari does not know the way forward, given that he has frequently praised the achievements of the Buhari administration. Tinubu has also expressed his intention to build upon these accomplishments if elected on February 25.
As the leading candidate in the race, Tinubu has promised to implement a comprehensive Action Plan aimed at achieving socio-economic prosperity for Nigeria. The APC Campaign Council is aware of the efforts by ThisDay and Arise News to misrepresent their candidate and undermine his image throughout the election cycle. They firmly state that any attempts by opposition elements to create a rift between President Buhari and Tinubu will ultimately fail. The APC, its leadership, and President Buhari remain united in their support for Tinubu as the presidential candidate. The council concluded by asserting that the fabricated narratives and imagined discord within the APC, which the PDP and its media outlets hope to exploit for electoral gain, will ultimately backfire.
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