Politics

2023: Tinubu’s false age, educational qualification accusations unjustifiable, says Lagos APC chieftain

Published

3 years ago

January 26, 2022

APC National Leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, has described as unjustifiable the allegations of age falsification, questionable educational qualification and source of wealth against the party’s National Leader and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu.

There have been series of allegations against Tinubu in the public space after declaration of his ambition to contest in 2023 presidential poll with the plan to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in May 29.

Oladejo, stated this on Tuesday, during a media parley on wide range of issues bordering on Lagos politics as well as APC leaders’ aspirations, held at the party’s Secretariat, Acme, Ikeja.

The APC scribe, who maintained that Tinubu has the right to contest the party’s presidential ticket for the 2023 election, charged those kicking against his presidential ambition to be democratic and provide facts rather than resorting to cheap blackmail.

According to him, “”Allegations and blackmail over Asiwaju Tinubu’s source of wealth, education qualification and age, are unjustifiable because they are accusations without substantive facts.

“it is very interesting that those in opposition suddenly have access to Asiwaju’s medical record and they have become the authority on his state of health.

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“Tinubu’s movement to different parts of the country in the last few months showed that he is medically fit going by World Health Organisation WHO, which defines good health as a complete state of physical, psychology and social wellbeing.”

Oladejo, stressed that Tinubu should be commended for making his recent knee surgery public despite being a private citizen, adding that “since the APC National Leader returned back from his foreign medical trip, he has been moving across Nigeria, attesting to clearn bill of health.”

Speaking about the controversy trailing Tinubu’s age from some quarters, Oladejo said nothing has been hidden about the former Lagos State governor’s age, noting that “for over one and half decades, Aswaju has always celebrated his birthday. Come March 29, Asiwaju will be 70 years old. It is as clear as that.”

On Tinubu’s source of wealth, Oladejo stated that “Asiwaju’s wealth cannot be measured in monetary value and in terms of naira and kobo. His wealth should be measured by the goodwill and image he has built through development of men who are willing to play their parts at a time like this. These men are spread all over Nigeria.”

Oladejo said Tinubu has the required qualifications to be President of Nigeria based on constitutional provisions, that anybody running for the presidency must be 35 years old, be a card-carrying member of a political party and must be sponsored by a political party.

“Tinubu is eminently qualified to be Nigeria’s President because of the confidence people have in him having distinguished himself during his eight years as Governor of Lagos State as well as his contributions to national politics in the last three decades,” Oladejo stated.

According to him, “As at the last count, over 1,800 groups across the country are already clamouring for his candidature.”

“We are excited about Asiwaju’s aspiration. We are excited because for once we have someone who is aspiring, who is a willing aspirant to say. He is not been forced on us and he is not been thrown up by circumstances to run for the office. As we speak, we have over 1,800 different groups across the country clamouring for Asiwaju Tinubu’s candidature and calling on him to throw his hat into the ring for the presidential election.

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“Asiwaju is well-grounded and over time, he has built a whole lot of goodwill and image across the country; across various ethnic nationalities. Asiwaju over time has been a man of the people. Looking at various issues such as economy, security, education, good health, among others in the country, it is high time for us to have a personality like Asiwaju to run for the presidency and we are very optimistic. The opposition will have their say but people will have their way,” he said.

Oladejo said the decision of Tinubu to contest for the presidency is already giving a lot of people sleepless nights, especially those who are interested in the presidency, but he believed that the APC’s national leader is a democrat who would never stop others from contesting.

He was optimistic of Tinubu defeating aspirants from South-West and other parts of the country during the APC presidential primaries and general elections because overwhelming acceptance and support across the country, adding that the clamour for Tinubu’s presidency is also from the North.

“Asiwaju is a democrat, the more the merrier when it comes to the number of aspirants aspiring for the presidency. I am sure with the various people supporting Asiwaju, there is no reason for us to lose sleep over anyone’s aspiration, especially someone who has not really made his aspiration clear.

”We should commend Asiwaju for the way he is approaching this race. First, he went to the incumbent president to inform him about his aspiration. He is yet to officially declare interest though,” Oladejo said.

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Related Topics:2023 accusations Age educational Featured Lagos APC chieftains qualification Tinubu

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Politics

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

Published

17 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

President Bola Tinubu’s determined push to weaken opposition ranks appears to be yielding results, with strong indications that four Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fresh investigation has revealed that Tinubu, long on the defensive against opposition attacks, has intensified efforts to consolidate power by targeting key figures in rival parties. His moves, insiders said, triggered the current wave of high-profile defections.

While sources within the APC and the Presidency attributed the looming defections to Tinubu’s aggressive political strategy, some opposition figures have accused the President of using inducements and blackmail to lure defectors. The president’s allies, on the other hand, have argued that his leadership style has made the APC increasingly attractive.

Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abba Yusuf (Kano), and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have been named as the next big catches for the ruling party.

“It is not a rumour. It is happening; those four governors – Eno, Mbah, Yusuf and Fubara — are on their way to joining the APC,” a senior party source confirmed.

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Officials at the APC national secretariat in Abuja also corroborated the development, pointing to an aggressive recruitment drive spearheaded by the President and top party leaders.

The anticipated defections come on the heels of last Wednesday’s surprise defection by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to the APC. Their move was announced by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at the Government House in Asaba.

Meanwhile, concerns have emerged over the tactics allegedly employed to secure these defections. A senior source cited the alleged Tinubu’s secret meeting with Fubara in London as a possible example of backroom pressure. The meeting reportedly took place at Fubara’s request following his suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

A source familiar with the situation said, “It was at that meeting that we believed Fubara must have been coaxed into considering the idea of defection as part of the arrangement to return his mandate. We also have reasons to suspect that Governor Eno’s potential move to the APC is linked to his predecessor and godfather’s alleged corruption case with the EFCC.”

Regarding Kano, the source stated that Tinubu had intensified reconciliation efforts between former Governors Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Kwankwaso to pave the way for Yusuf’s defection.

“In the coming days, the news of Abba Yusuf’s defection will be made public because he will officially move to the APC with his mentor. We all know Kano is too big a state for Tinubu to ignore politically,” he added.

Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp

Politics

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Published

17 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Trends Admin

Peter Obi

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has launched an online registration portal and identity cards for members of the Obidient Movement both within Nigeria and among supporters in the diaspora.

The development was announced in a joint statement on Saturday by the National Coordinator of the movement, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, and the Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure.

According to the statement, the new identity cards will feature a QR code for easy authentication and display the national flag of each holder’s country of residence.

It stated in part: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it. For example, if you’re not resident in Nigeria, the top right-hand corner will carry the flag of your country of residence.”

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Highlighting the movement’s emphasis on unity and diversity, the statement added: “That way, we can all witness first-hand the embodying of our spirit of diversity, comradery, and unity and how far-reaching the messaging Obidient Movement is. The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian cards, all start with the same prefix which is the OBX.”

The statement further explained the functionality of the QR code embedded in the card: “The QR code on the bottom right-hand corner is there to authenticate your card, which can be scanned with any QR scanner such as a smartphone, to give Obidients a secure and confident way of interacting with one another.”

It continued: “So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be.”

Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient

Politics

Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2025

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru

Political analyst and columnist Majeed Dahiru has said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration may end in 2027.

This, he said, was dependent on how former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai successfully rallies northern political forces behind Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

Dahiru spoke during an appearance on The Morning Brief of the Channels Television, discussing recent opposition alignments and El-Rufai’s strategic relevance ahead of the next general election.

“If I may put it straight. The day El-Rufai decides and can galvanise the opinion moulders in the North to zero in on Peter Obi, for instance, as the candidate, that will be the end of the Tinubu administration,” Dahiru stated.

This came amid ongoing conversations about potential coalitions to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The situation took a new turn on Wednesday when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, alongside several PDP officials, defected to the APC.

Dahiru noted the reported resistance from PDP governors to opposition coalition efforts, attributing it to regional loyalty.

“That’s because the PDP governors’ preferred candidate for the next election is President Bola Tinubu of the APC — because of southern solidarity. The bulk of the PDP governors are from the South. One of their own is in power. They can’t work against one of their own. It’s not possible.”

He cited historical examples to underscore the role of regional interests in Nigerian politics.

“In 2003, the AD (Alliance for Democracy) didn’t field a presidential candidate because of Obasanjo. That is the nature of Nigerian politics.

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“When Yar’Adua became president in 2007, a number of ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party) governors moved to the PDP. Two governors even married his daughters to gain a footing in the PDP. It has always been like that.”

Dahiru also addressed El-Rufai’s recent departure from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), attributing it to deeper tensions with the presidency.

“El-Rufai has a grouse against the president — a legitimate grouse — because he worked for the president. Hate him or love him, he has a basis to be angry,” he said.

“He has been working assiduously to undermine the president, particularly in the Muslim North, where he is like the caliph to Buhari. He’s the brainbox of the Muslim North.”

He hinted at a broader political strategy by El-Rufai, possibly involving an endorsement of a candidate from the South, especially the Southeast.

“Let me give him a tip: if he really wants to sit at the back of the president, what he should do — and I think they may already be on that path — is convince the Muslim North to look towards the South for a candidate. Specifically, the Southeast.

“If he’s able to do that — and I know he can; he has the capacity — to shift support to someone like Peter Obi, then that will be the end of the Tinubu administration.”