Tinubu Has Nothing to Offer Nigerians, Governor Emmanuel Declares

•Atiku/Okowa campaign blasts APC presidential candidate for allegedly threatening Akwa Ibom governor

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Okon Bassey in Uyo

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, yesterday said the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has nothing to offer Nigerians, which according to him was why he resorts to abuse of personalities   during his campaigns.

Also, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, yesterday berated Tinubu for issuing threats of violence against Emmanuel at the party’s rally held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday.

The Akwa Ibom Governor said despite being insulted by the one- time Lagos State Governor, he would prefer to allow peace to reign by ignoring him and focusing on helping install good governance to rescue Nigerians from their present woes.

The governor spoke on Monday evening at Government House, Uyo while inaugurating the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, Chairmen and Members of Boards and Commissions, as well as a Transition Committee to ensure the smooth transition of power to the next administration. 

Tinubu had as part of his remarks during his presidential rally in Uyo on Monday said, “Akwa Ibom, that Boy wey bring Atiku here, way de call himself Governor, tell him enough is enough! He lives in my backyard in Lagos, if no be say we be one I would driven him home. You see that mansion he is living, I would just use lizards, pigeons and scorpions and put inside.”

But reacting, Emmanuel said, for the country to remain at peace, one party must “play saint,” saying that is why he would refrain from replying Tinubu.

The Chairman of the PDP presidential campaigns stated: “I also go to other states, and if you watch our campaigns, my principal (Atiku Abubakar) has never spoken about any governor, he has never spoken openly about Asiwaju before.”

Emmanuel said it was unfortunate that Tinubu, who was granted state-owned facilities such as the airport, security, stadium, and a good atmosphere to come in and sell his manifesto, ended up coming to insult the integrity of over 7.9 million Akwa Ibom people.

The governor wondered if it was possible for any Akwa Ibomite to go to Lagos that Tinubu stays, “or the actual state that he hails from, to insult him in like manner and still be allowed to safely return home, but here our people at the stadium including some state governors just laughed and applauded him.”

“What makes him think he will govern Nigeria? If I reply him now, people will call me and say, haba oga you are not like that. But I will reply him one day. There is nothing like ‘emilokan’ (it is my turn) here, Nigeria is in God’s hands.”

The governor thanked the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries for accepting the onerous task of service and urged them to see themselves as ambassadors and work towards raising the bar of leadership which will encourage productivity and promote good working relationship with subordinates in the service.

“This is one thing I promised Akwa Ibom people that appointment of Permanent Secretaries shall be totally on merit; let those that can do the work be given the opportunity. Permanent Secretary is not a promotion; it is an appointment on merit,” he added.

Addressing Chairmen of Boards and Commissions, Governor Emmanuel who described them as pillars in government, acknowledged their commitment particularly, Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection & Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) Prince Akpan Ikim, for winning laurels for the state through his outstanding performance in keeping and making the state the cleanest in Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2018 through 2022, and tasked others to create an impact that will stand them out.

Atiku/Okowa Campaign Blasts Tinubu

Meanwhile, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation has berated Tinubu, for threatening Emmanuel.

The spokesperson of the campaign, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement issued yesterday, said it was pathetic that Tinubu, “finding it extremely difficult to handle his impending defeat,” was “plagued by deep-seated pains, frustration and anger against successful Nigerians which manifested in his attack on the person of Emmanuel.”

The campaign said Nigerians could now imagine how autocratic a Tinubu’s presidency would turn out as vicious, disrespectful, harassing, intimidating and subduing.

Ologbondiyan stated: “Our campaign condemns in very strong terms the resort to threats by Senator Tinubu, who is now trying to transfer his annoyance over his failed campaign as well as the frustration of crushing rejection by Nigerians to the PDP presidential campaign.

“It is crude, to say the least, for Tinubu to have threatened Governor Emmanuel with chasing him (Emmanuel), a democratically elected governor, out of Lagos State.”

Ologbondiyan noted that it was however instructive to note that Tinubu was clearly intimidated by Emmanuel’s towering achievements as well as his deft management of the PDP presidential campaign council which he said had further fortified Akwa Ibom and other states of the federation as PDP strongholds, completely impenetrable to the APC at all levels ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He noted that the PDP campaign council had been made aware of how Tinubu expressed frustration when, upon arriving Akwa Ibom State, he was confronted by massive infrastructural development and citizen empowerment achieved by Emmanuel, which he was lacking during his tenure as governor of Lagos State, “and which has compelled him to claim the achievements of his predecessors and successors in Lagos State.”

Ologbondiyan said: “Tinubu was said to have been comprehensively distressed by the heavy presence of the PDP in Akwa Ibom as well as the unshifting solidarity for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the state, for which Tinubu became angry with Udom Emmanuel, having been faced by the futility of campaigning in Akwa Ibom State.

“In any case, it is not Udom Emmanuel’s fault that Asiwaju does not have any landmark project he can point to as his achievement as Governor of Lagos State, neither is it his (Emmanuel) fault that Tinubu was not competent enough to put together an effective team to drive his Presidential campaign which has practically collapsed.

“It is not Udom Emmanuel’s fault that Tinubu is plagued by corruption charges including reported conviction for trafficking in narcotic for which he forfeited the sum of $460,000 to the United State, neither is it the fault of the Akwa Ibom governor that Tinubu has a record of massive looting of Lagos State resources with his many Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) companies, cases of certificate forgery, perjury, identity theft, as well as inconsistencies in age, ancestry, educational qualifications among many others.”