Sowore Slams Okocha, Kanu, Taribo, Others for Endorsing Tinubu for President

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Some former Super Eagles players who have thrown their weights behind Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s quest to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President have been slammed for dabbling into the country’s political terrain.

Former Captains Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, and several other former national team stars visited the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  to officially endorse him for presidency. The video showing Taribo praying with the same zeal he defended  the Super Eagles against other countries, has since gone viral on social media.

They were also involved in a novelty game to celebrate the 70th birthday of the former governor of Lagos State.

Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of SaharaReporters, an online newspaper took the ex internationals to the cleaners for endorsing Tinubu for presidency.

Sowore while reacting to their visit to Tinubu described it as shameful, blaming hunger for their actions.

He said, “Hunger is a bastard! Austin JJ Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, and Other Ex-super Eagles Players Paid Tinubu a Visit Today To Endorse Him..! Shame on these ex-soccer Super Eagles players! Imagine sending them to play for Nigeria as a team to the World Cup after they’ve expired? #WeCantContinueLikeThis”

But in a swift reaction, a former Nigerian international now based in Europe, Bolaji Douglas, insisted that there was nothing wrong in what the former Super Eagles stars did.

“As brands I believe they can be used for promotions, but they need to be careful in what they say and clearly define how far they would go. 

“Going to play a 70th birthday novelty match falls withing the jurisdiction of the services their brand should promote. 

“But when they start making careless statements about endorsing a candidate, I think they start to walk on a slippery path from that point on.

“I admire what they have done coming up with the brands, but common sense is needed not to taint the brands,” concludes the former Kwara Bomber, BCC Lions and Shooting Stars’ hard-as-nail defender.

There were however divided opinions on social media on the visit of the ex internationals to the Bourdillon home of Asiwaju Tinubu in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Some informed commentators dismissed the accusations of hunger against the former football stars.

“Most of the ex internationals have houses and businesses here in Lagos and elsewhere. You can even classify some of them as billionaires when you looked at what they earned playing football in Europe,” reasoned one of the commentators on social media yesterday.