The Director of Strategic Communications for the National Election Management Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu, on Tuesday rebuked All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu for his involvement in Chatham House, UK. .
Naija News recalls that Tinubu’s decision to delegate some of the questions he asked to APC chiefs, including Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, was met with much criticism from Nigerians.
However, Tinubu explained that his decision was based on the need to show his team spirit.
Momodu reacted to the incident through an article titled ‘Cry not for Tinubu, cry for Nigeria’, insisting that APC was ‘dressing’ Tinubu on a global stage.
The PPD chief criticized APC’s flag-bearer handlers for causing great embarrassment to the nation on a global stage.
He argued that it would be preferable to display the ex-governor of Lagos with his blunders, as everyone is bound to make mistakes rather than silence him.
According to Momodu, “Call it what you will, what happened at Chatham House, London, yesterday (Monday), was a complete farce. Tinubu’s handlers failed and they failed in a big way. They displayed him as a packed invalid. It would have been better to present him as a brilliant politician and administrator, warts and all, than he is capable of independent thought. No man is perfect. His blunders would have been more forgivable and acceptable. He was expected to sell his own vision and mission.
“But what we saw yesterday was a theater of the absurd. It brought back memories of our great former President Umaru Yar ‘Adua and how he mysteriously disappeared from the radar and some of his aides ruled by proxy. I was one of those who led the ‘Enough is Enough’ protest against the Yar’ Adua clique in Abuja in 2010. What was unacceptable then is even more unacceptable now with the benefit of hindsight. Our country must be above friendship.
The truth is that Nigeria’s problem is often compounded by the voluptuous ambitions of some acolytes who wish to remain eternally relevant in the corridors of power at the expense of the long-suffering nation,” he said, adding that “everyone around Tinubu yesterday (Monday) knew the bitter truth but chose to mislead Nigerians.”
Speaking further, Momodu recalled how one of the APC chiefs asked Tinubu to dance to Kizz Daniel’s popular song ‘Buga’ in a viral video because that’s what young people see.
He was enraged because one would often think that Nigeria cannot sink any further and then a situation like the Chatham House hoax would occur and bring one back down to earth.
The DPP campaign spokesman recalled that seven years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari did a good job when he appeared at the same venue to interact with the global audience.
“I was with the president, Muhammadu Buhari, the day he visited Chatham House seven years ago. He was solid and charismatic. He didn’t need anyone to goad him on. He answered questions eloquently and intelligently to the best of his ability.
“That is what Tinubu was expected to achieve yesterday (Monday). Instead, what he did was invite aides to sit for the Joint Board of Admissions and Matriculation exam. It is horrible to see some respected intellectuals like El-Rufai and Fayemi as they fight to clothe Tinubu on a very sacred global stage.” added.
