The All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, has stated that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is using diversionary tactics after accepting defeat in the February election.
Phrank Shaibu, a special media assistant to the presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, had in a statement challenged the presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to make his real name and early education known.
However, Bayo Onanuga, the Director of Media and Publicity, described the latest allegation as another attempt at shadowboxing.
He said if only the PDP would go back to its records, it would have realised that the same reckless campaign of calumny was its stock in trade in the governorship campaigns in Lagos State in 2003.
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Onanuga stated that it had also been the subject of investigations by the Lagos State House of Assembly, and that in the 2003 elections, the masses in Lagos punished the PDP for its malicious campaign by massively rejecting the party at the polling booths.
He emphasized that it was unfortunate that the party and its presidential candidate chose to resurrect a dead allegation while the election was once again slipping away.
Onanuga said: “In another puerile move, Shuaibu challenged our candidate to give his full name and went on a journey of fantasy about his early education and parentage, matters already thrown into the dustbin decades ago.
“We were not surprised that the desperate Atiku camp, faced with mounting setbacks in its campaign, will engage in another round of mudslinging after it failed to make any capital over its amplified allegation of drug dealing against our candidate.”
Onanuga stated that the massive turnout of Nigerians to welcome Tinubu in Kaduna, Minna, Abuja, and other parts of the country in the last week demonstrated that they are chasing a train that has left the station.
According to him, the Republic’s Constitution is very clear on a citizen’s right to run for president. “Our candidate has met those requirements. “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the neutral umpire, has confirmed that he is eligible to run,” he said.
