By Akeem Busari
As countdowns to the February 25, presidential election continues, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have reportedly been fighting dirty in attempts to take over the reins of office from President Muhammadu Buhari.
The press and the social media spaces have been awashed with disparaging claims and counter claims from both parties, especially, with their media goons firing unsavoury salvos at each opposing camps.
While Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shuiabu have queried and described Tinubu’s claims to have inherited properties and trading in stocks as his sources of wealth as balderdash, Director, Media and Publicity of Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, on his part, has warned the public to be wary of Atiku’s lies and sugar-coated promises.
Onanuga was quick to remind Nigerians how Atiku as Vice-President to Olusegun Obasanjo plundered Nigeria’s commonwealth through his many phony companies. He also mentioned Obasanjo bemoaning Atiku’s shadowy parentage, his propensity to corruption, his disloyalty and lack transparency, as bad attributes unbefiting of a presidential candidate.
The desperate moves by both parties to win the presidential election at all cost, took a new, but sad twist, when a supposed whistle-blower, came to the public with evidence of letters of his appointment by Atiku Abubakar, as well as, emails, documents and sworn affidavit that indicted Atiku of corrupt practices and actions to fleece and steal public funds between 1999 and 2007, and using different cronies.
Another whistle-blower, also disclosed how he was paid several millions of naira, given a car and with promises of juicy political appointments. According to him, the parties employ services of social media influencers with millions of followers to disseminate fake news and information to discredit the opposition.
And yes, the dirty battle, particularly on the social media and conventional press, is not about to abate, with few weeks to the much-anticipated 2023 general elections.
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