The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not qualified to recommend or endorse anyone as Nigeria’s President because of the latter’s “failures”.
Tinubu said Obasanjo failed to develop the country when he had the opportunity and was fighting his then Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, while accusing each other of spending the country’s money for their personal comfort.
The APC presidential flag-bearer said the former President and the People Democratic Party-led government, after spending $16 billion on electricity, could not deliver electricity to Nigerians to make even “popcorn”.
He said this at the APC presidential campaign rally held the University of Benin Sports Complex, Ugbowo Campus, Benin, the Edo State capital on Thursday.
Obasanjo recently endorsed the presidential standard-bearer of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, for the 2023 presidency.
Tinubu further stated that he brought Enron Power to generate electricity and solve the power problem in Lagos State during his administration as governor, saying the project was frustrated by the Obasanjo-led government.
“I brought Enron to solve electricity problem and help Lagos economy but Obasanjo and PDP frustrated it. They punished me and Lagos people and even began deducting our money.
“I created Local Governments in Lagos to accelerate development and create employment for our people but Obasanjo siezed our allocation and punished us for that. That was wickedness and such a man said he endorsed a man for you to vote as President. Can you follow such a man? Can Obasanjo recommend a leader for anyone in Nigeria? A man who does not know the way cannot show the way,” Tinubu said.
The two-term former governor of Lagos State, who applauded the return of Benin artefacts by some nations, urged the countries to pay some money to Edo State having made huge money from the returned artefacts through tourism and exhibitions.
“Edo people, prosperity has come, happiness has come, hope is back in your homes, knowledge is back in your community. I am happy about the returned artefacts. They are bringing our artefacts.
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“I support the Oba of Benin who said our heritage must come back but I disagree with the Europeans. They have used our artefacts for exhibitions and tourism for decades in their museums to make money. They should not just send them back without money.
“When I become President I will ask them to pay us restitution. I will contribute to the building of the museum in Benin,” Tinubu added.
Tinubu said his administration would focus on job creation through small scale industries, build a credible credit system for capital formation, bring multibillion dollar investments to Edo State, and end estimated electricity billing if elected as president in the 2023 general election.
“I will turn Edo State to energy State. I will convert Yahoo boys and make them useful by converting their talents and intellects to produce chips for industries.
“We can defeat poverty, ignorance and homelessness. We have the knowledge, we have the brain to do it. Trust me. I am an expert in finding the way where there is no way. I found a way to tame the Atlantic and turn it to money- making machine,” he stated.
Also speaking at the rally, the former governor of Edo State and Deputy Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Adams Oshiomhole, said the people of the state would use their PVCs to appreciate Tinubu as “a father of multi-party democracy in Nigeria”.
“If you want to understand why Obasanjo failed to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, it was the resistance of Asiwaju and others.
“Obasanjo also wanted to take over Lagos. Asiwaju said you can’t do it. If you are a military general, I am a general of politics. He fought him to a standstill,” Oshiomhole said.
The former governor also threw jibes at presidential candidates of Labour Party, Peter Obi, and that of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, urging the people of Edo State to reject them.
“Peter Obi is a joke,” he said, adding that Obi could not address the erosion problem in Anambra State as a governor.
Oshiomhole also said Atiku cannot unite Nigeria, saying: “Someone who cannot unite his house, how can he unite Nigeria?”
Others at the rally were Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Olanisakin, amongst others.
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