APC Blast PDP, LP, Said not Surprised by the Antics of the Opposition Parties

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has warned the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, against funding false information to damage his reputation. He claims that doing so will harm their ambitions.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the director of media and publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said that both opposition candidates had sponsored false information about Tinubu.

He said: “The opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its subsidiary, Labour Party, having realised they have no sure path to victory in the February 2023 presidential election, upped their campaign of calumny, disinformation and misinformation on Saturday by sponsoring fake news against the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“They did it by forging the letterhead of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the signature of its national commissioner, Festus Okoye,” said Onanuga.

The fake statement reportedly issued by INEC, according to the APC campaign team, was spread to fool the trusting public into thinking that INEC was looking into Asiwaju Tinubu’s alleged wrongdoing.

“They desperately hoped it would ultimately lead to the disqualification of the frontline APC Presidential candidate.”

“We are not in any way surprised by the antics of the sinking opposition parties.

“What we found shocking was how quickly some compromised media organisations gulped the falsehood, hook, line and sinker, without attempting to verify.

“We understand why they did so: the forgery and its narrative fit their mindset of throwing overboard every known virtue of ethical journalism and professionalism as they worked in cahoot with the opposition to defame Asiwaju Tinubu.

“This inglorious path has been taken since 2003 and in the run-up to the primaries of the ruling APC that produced Asiwaju Tinubu as the presidential torch bearer.

“Those who took this damned path of infamy lost their bet because Asiwaju Tinubu stands rock solid and indestructible,” the statement added.

The APC campaign committee emphasised that its candidate has often stated that he will focus his campaign on problems that directly impact Nigerians’ lives and how to deliver practical, long-lasting solutions that will raise the standard of living for all.

“He has demonstrated this resolve by publishing an 80-page manifesto tagged Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, which he has been selling to strategic sectoral groups in the country.

“We had hoped anyone aspiring to lead our country at this time would be a natural subscriber to this noble and higher goal.

“It is clear the opposition parties and purveyors of fake news have other negative ideas: they want to make this election cycle more about muckraking and mudslinging.

“While we want to stay above the fray and stand by our commitment to inspire our people and restore their faith and confidence in the immense goodness and greatness of our country, we want to serve notice to all the agents of disinformation and their collaborating media platforms, that our campaign organisation stands ready to confront and fight all libellous and defamatory publications against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We shall no longer allow the prevailing recklessness and utter disregard for professional judgment to continue unchallenged.

“We also call on the police to investigate the circulation of the forged INEC statement and serve justice to those responsible,” he added.