‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER – 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, He accused Abubakar 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.
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.”
“Now, Atiku criticises my selection as running mate based on religion. He does so because he cannot criticise it on other ground.”
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