The Director, Strategic Communications of the National Election Management Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu has on Tuesday berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, over his engagement at the Chatham House, United Kingdom.
News360 Info recalls that Tinubu’s decision to delegate some of the questions he was asked to APC chieftains including the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi was greeted with a lot of criticism from Nigerians.
However, Tinubu explained that his decision was based on the need to show his spirit of team-ship.
Reacting to the occurrence via an article titled Weep not for Tinubu but Nigeria,’ Momodu insisted that APC were ‘window-dressing’ Tinubu on a global stage.
The PDP chieftain slammed the handlers of the APC flagbearer for causing the nation a huge embarrassment on a global stage.
He argued that it would be preferable to showcase the former Lagos Governor with his gaffes as everyone is bound to make mistakes rather than shutting him up.
According to Momodu, “Call it what you will, what happened at Chatham House, London, yesterday (Monday), was a complete charade. The Tinubu handlers fumbled, and bungled it big time. They showcased him like a packaged invalid. It would have been better to present him as a brilliant politician and administrator, warts and all, who is capable of independent thoughts. No man is perfect. His gaffes would have been more pardonable and acceptable. He was expected to sell his own vision and mission.
But what we saw yesterday was a theatre of the absurd. It brought back memories of our great former President Umaru Yar’ Adua and how he mysteriously disappeared from radar and some of his aides governed by proxy. I was one of those who led the ‘Enough is Enough’ protest against the Yar’ Adua cabal in Abuja in 2010. What was unacceptable then is even more unacceptable now with benefits of hindsight. Our country should be placed above friendship.
Truth is, the problem of Nigeria is often aggravated 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 “all those around Tinubu yesterday (Monday) knew the bitter truth but chose to fool Nigerians.”
Speaking further Momodu reminisced how one of the APC chieftains asked Tinubu to dance to the popular song ‘Buga’ by Kizz Daniel in a viral video because that is what the youths to see.
He fumed that one would often think that Nigeria cannot sink any lower and then a situation like the Chatham House charade would occur and bring one back to earth.
The PDP campaign spokesman recalled that seven years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari did a good job when he appeared at the same venue to engage 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 needed no one to prompt him. He answered questions eloquently and intelligently to the best of his abilities.
That is what Tinubu was expected to accomplish yesterday (Monday). What he did instead was like inviting helpers to sit the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination. It is horrifying to watch some respected intellectuals like El-Rufai and Fayemi as they struggled to window dress Tinubu on a much hallowed global stage,” he added.
