The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has cautioned a former minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory, Ms Jumoke Akinjide, to thread softly and refrain from making futile attempts on the mass media with a view to running down the presidential candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is favoured to defeat Atiku Abubakar and others in the presidential election coming up this Saturday.
The former minister under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan appeared on a private radio station at the weekend where she again made some disparaging comments about Sen. Bola Tinubu in an apparent effort to mobilize support for Atiku Abubakar of the PDP which she represented.
While reacting to Ms Akinjide’s outbursts in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC described the daughter of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General as a failed political player who was desperate to make a comeback to reckoning and also take an advantage of the vulnerability of Atiku to dispossess him of his money.
“With what the whole world was able to see as massive support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu last Thursday when he visited Ibadan for the presidential rally of the APC, it would make no sense for us to engage in a battle of wits with any political jobber in the PDP or any other party. Despite the adverse effects of ill-timed cashless policy sponsored by some unfriendly forces to discredit the APC ahead of the general election, people trooped to the streets of Ibadan to show love and support to Tinubu.
“This obviously jolted the likes of Ms Akinjide who felt the best thing to do was to embark on a fresh campaign of calumny against the popular choice of the masses with a view to giving a false hope to Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. Meanwhile, one would have loved to listen to the manifesto and programmes of the former vice president from Ms Akinjide in the course of the interview but she chose to boxing the shadow as she made Tinubu her only subject of discourse for about an hour.
“We have had promptings from many concerned members of the public who wanted us to remind the public about the similar inglorious path which Jumoke’s dad took against Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Uncle Bola Ige in 1979 and 1983 respectively as well as many other historical events which lend credence to the anti-Yoruba mantra of the Akinjides but we are of the opinion that we do not have to travel that route for obvious reasons even as we remain focused and determined to secure a well deserved victory for Asiwaju and his running mate, Sen. Kassim Shettima, this Saturday.
“But for personal ambitious, covetousness and greed, people like Jumoke Akinjide would know that a southerner must succeed President Muhammadu Buhari while Bola Tinubu stands tall among all the contestants for the coveted seat. As it is on record that Ms Akinjide has never contested and won any election in her life, we would like to admonish her to always think beyond her own whims and caprices before seeking the support of the people because history would not be kind to her after the conclusion of the this year general election which Nigerians are ready to take advantage of and throw up Tinubu as their president.” Sadare stated.