The Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Seye Oladejo, on Tuesday said that Sen. Bola Tinubu remains the man to beat in the 2023 Presidential Election with backing from over 1,800 groups.
Oladejo, in a statement in Lagos, took a swipe at those attacking the APC leader and former Lagos State, over his ambition to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, come May 29, 2023.
He advised those kicking against the ambition of Tinubu to be democratic and lay the facts at the table rather than resorting to blackmail.
The APC spokesman said that allegations and blackmail over Tinubu’s source of wealth, educational qualification and age, were unjustifiable because they remain accusations without substantive facts.
He said “it is very interesting that those in opposition suddenly have access to Asiwaju’s medical record and they have become the authority on his state of health.
“Tinubu’s movement to different parts of the country in the last few months showed that he is medically fit.”
The APC chieftain said that Tinubu should be commended for making his recent knee surgery public despite being a private citizen.
He added that since the APC leader returned from his foreign medical trip, he has been moving from one place to the other.
Speaking about the controversy trailing Tinubu’s age from some quarters, Oladejo said there was nothing hidden about the former Lagos State governor’s age.
Reacting on issues surrounding Tinubu’s source of wealth, Oladejo said: “Tinubu’s wealth cannot be measured in monetary value.
“His wealth should be measured by the goodwill and image he has by building men who are willing to play their parts at a time like this. These men are spread all over Nigeria.”
He said Tinubu had the required qualifications to be President of Nigeria based on constitutional provisions, which stipulated that anybody running for the presidency must be 35 years old, be a card-carrying member of a political party and must be sponsored by a political party.
Oladejo said that Tinubu is eminently qualified to be Nigeria’s President because of the confidence people have in him for having distinguished himself.
He said that Tinubu distinguished himself during his eight years as governor of Lagos State as well as contributions to national politics in the last three decades.
According to him, Tinubu will never say no to the millions of Nigerians who have been urging him to contest as over 1,800 groups across the country are already clamoring for his candidature.
Oladejo said: “We are excited about Tinubu’s aspiration. We are excited because for once we have someone who is aspiring, who is a willing aspirant to say.
“He is not being forced on us and he is not being thrown up by circumstances to run for the office.”
He said that Tinubu is well-grounded and over time, he has built a whole lot of goodwill and image across the country and across various ethnic nationalities.
“Looking at various issues such as economy, security, education, good health, among others in the country, it is high time for us to have a personality like Asiwaju to run for the presidency and we are very optimistic.
“The opposition will have their say but people will have their way,” he said.
Oladejo said the decision that Tinubu should contest for the presidency is already giving a lot of people sleepless nights, especially those who are also interested in the presidency.
The APC spokesman expressed confidence that Tinubu would defeat aspirants from South-West and other parts of the country during the APC presidential primaries and general elections.