The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has cautioned Chief (Mrs) Jumoke Akinjide, a former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to stop launching a campaign of calumny against its presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
This is contained in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, on Friday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akinjide, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, was alleged to have made Tinubu a subject of verbal attacks and blackmail.
Akinjide was alleged to have blackmailed Tinubu while appearing on some local Radio to mobilize support for the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The APC secretary expressed dismay over the alleged calculated attempts by Akinjide to discredit and run down Tinubu with a view to winning the electorate for her choice of candidate, Atiku.
Sadare frowned at Akinjide for allegedly promoting a campaign of calumny against an established political figure, whose time has come to rule the country and move it forward as desired by Nigerians.
“We have been inundated with unpleasant feedback from members of the public who had listened to all the sponsored interviews granted by Akinjide in the last few days.
“She had allegedly made futile attempts to tell barefaced lies against the person of Tinubu, who is the APC presidential candidate, in the forthcoming general elections.
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“It is a height of insensitivity for somebody who has never won any election now trying to pull down an accomplished personality who has never lost any election anywhere,” he said.
Sadare urged Akinjide to find a better ploy with which she could earn patronage from Atiku than seeking attention by using Tinubu’s name.
He said that no amount of smear campaigns and character assassination would make voters turn against Tinubu.
“We urge her to remember the fate which befell her and others in 2015 when they traveled a similar route with former President Goodluck Jonathan and got humiliated at the poll.
“If what most citizens across the country demonstrate as a show of support and endorsement for the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 project on account of competence, track record and promise does not appeal to Akinjide.
“We would encourage them to thread softly and stop fighting dirty in the political space over a lost cause. Nigerians want Tinubu as their next president,” the party scribe said.
Meanwhile, the APC had lauded a former Deputy Governor in the state, Rauf Olaniyan, for his recent heroic activities aimed at achieving a round victory for the party at the general election.
“It is worthy of note that His Excellency, Rauf Olaniyan, is doing a wonderful job at the moment to mobilize support for Tinubu, Sen. Teslim Folarin, and all other APC candidates. We shall not take this for granted,” it said.