The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has described as fake, the message from a ‘Tinubu group’ calling on the people of the South-West not to vote for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, in 2023.

The APC campaign council said the group did not exist, noting that Obi deliberately concocted the message and circulated the video himself as a campaign strategy in order to come across as a victim of some kind of ethnic agenda.

The spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, made this known in reaction to a video where Obi was seen reading a message asking the people of the South-West not to vote for him.

“Yoruba shine your eyes o, if you vote for Peter Obi, it is automatically voting for seaports in South-South and South-East. The Igbos will stop coming to Lagos State to invest, rather they will go to Delta and Rivers States, they may even stop building houses in Lagos. It will affect a lot of Yorubas. Yoruba ro nu o,” the group was alleged to have said.

However, Keyamo, in a statement issued on Monday, said the APC campaign council “vehemently deny the existence of any of such ‘Tinubu group’ that made and circulated such a message”, adding that all groups supporting the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and his running-mate, Kashim Shettima, have “clear designations with well-known promoters”.

“In addition, it is only messages released by the APC Presidential Campaign Council that are officially authorised and for which we take responsibility.

“We challenge Mr Peter Obi to reveal the source and name(s) behind that nebulous Whatsapp message.

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“We wish to state that it is obvious Mr Peter Obi deliberately concocted that message and circulated that offensive video himself as a campaign strategy in order to come across as a victim of some kind of ethnic agenda, whereas in truth, he is the real agent provocateur of an ethnic agenda.

“As the take-off date for campaigns draws closer, Mr Peter Obi has suddenly realised that Nigerians are beginning to burst his bubbles as his messages are bereft of ideas, depth and clear-cut solutions to our challenges.

“His messages are only full of false data and highfalutin jargons in what is clearly a disingenuous ruse to distract scrutiny of his empty records as a Governor of Anambra State and nothing else, hence his easy recourse to playing ethnic card and fanning the ember of hate.

“We have it on good authority that part of the ‘U.S Strategy’ (just like the failed ‘Dubai Strategy’ his former boss and himself adopted in 2019) was to return to the country and spread ethnic hatred amongst the voters and cause chaos, then pose as the victim. They have just kick-started that plot by orchestrating and circulating the said video.

“We find it utterly disgusting, demeaning and insulting to the sensitivities and sensibilities of Nigerians for a presidential candidate of the ilk of Peter Obi to make such a video parroting a spurious, unverified and sham message that has the potential of deepening our faultlines as a nation and further promoting ethnic tensions. This is completely unbecoming of a presidential candidate that hopes to unite this country,” he added.

Keyamo, who is the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, further stated: “We are also aware that plans are afoot by Mr Peter Obi to fake an assassination attempt on himself and hire Labour Party boys dressed in APC caps and T-shirts to attack some Labour Party offices.

“It is all part of the ‘U.S Plan’. It is the first in a series of incendiary actions planned by this ill-prepared but desperate candidate.

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“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic origins or political divides, to rise up and condemn these tactless tactics and cheap manoeuver by a desperate non-starter of a presidential candidate who has decided to resort to crude revisionism, ethnic jingoism and crass insensitivity with a view to whipping up undeserved sentiment to fuel his faltering ambition that is nothing but a flash in a pan.

“Our advice to Mr Peter Obi is to quit the race if he has nothing more to tell Nigerians.”

The spokesperson of the APC campaign council further debunked the reports making the rounds that Tinubu is set to withdraw from the presidential race on health grounds, saying: “This is nothing but a figment of their warped imaginations.

“Our candidate is strong, healthy and fit enough for the coming campaigns. The opposition will hear loud and clear from him soon,” Keyamo noted.

The Star