THE All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign organisation and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, further fought dirty over the individual health status and allegations of corruption against their candidates: Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, respectively.
The latest round of verbal exchanges between the lead- ing parties in the forthcoming general election followed insinuations by APC campaign council that the current foreign trip by Atiku was meant to attend to an alleged health challenge.
Speaking through the council, APC council challenged Atiku to make clarification on his alleged failing health.
But, in a swift reaction, PDP campaign council accused the APC camp of what it termed a calculated attempt to assassinate the impecca- ble character and integrity of “the incoming peoples’ president, Atiku.”
According to a statement issued by spokesperson of the PDP campaign, Kola Ologbodiyan, the claim by the Tinubu campaign is not only ludicrous but also a failed attempt to impugn the impeccable character and integrity of “the incoming peoples’ president, Atiku.”
Earlier, Director, Media and Publicity, APC PCC, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in a statement in Abuja, had alleged that the PDP candidate and his media handlers had been silent on trending video attributed to Michael Achimugu, a media consultant to Atiku, who made alleged financial sleaze against him while the PDP candidate was vice president in the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Onanuga also alleged that contrary to a media narrative that Atiku is in the United Kingdom (UK) on the invita- tion of some British officials, the statement claimed that the ex-vice president actually travelled to attend to health condition.
The statement read in part: “It’s time for Atiku Abubakar, the 76-year-old presidential candidate of PDP to come clean over two issues cloud- ing his campaign: his health status and his scandalous confession of how he colluded with his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to fleece the Nigerian treasury, using the special purpose vehicles after he became vice president in 1999.
“So far, there has been no notable response from Atiku’s camp about the disturbing revelation, except for a futile attempt to disown the whistle-blower, Michael Achimugu.
“Atiku is also not talking about his health status even when his hirelings daily make futile attempts to divert public attention to his main rival by cooking up lies upon lies, whereas Atiku is the candidate that Nigerians should be sorely worried about. The lies of several years and the vari- ous diversionary tactics are no longer sustainable. The PDP presidential candidate is certainly not okay, the papering efforts notwith- standing.
“Eyebrows were raised when Atiku did not return to the country after the December holidays to continue his lacklustre and faltering fifth campaign for Nigeria’s presidency. Amid the concern by political watchers that Atiku was missing from December 21, 2022 on the field of electioneering campaign came the story by the online plat- form, Sahara Reporters, that Atiku was flown to the UK from his usual home in Dubai to London for treatment.
“The story has not been vigorously denied.
“We have it on good authority that Atiku indeed fell ill, while missing on the field. He was indeed in the UK for some medical help, though handlers camouflage that he was there on the invitation of some British officials at Whitehall, in a mimic of the earlier visit of the APC rival, Senator Bola Tinubu.
“Despite the efforts by his handlers to showcase Atiku as healthy and physically fit to endure the rigours of the presidential campaign, pictures from rallies have be- lied this. Campaign pictures sometimes showed him be- ing helped to descend steps at stadia. Sometimes, he walked with apparent hand- icap, dragging his feet.
Reacting to the allegations, the Atiku/Okowa campaign organisation stressed that Tinubu is not fit to hold the office of the president.
Ologbodiyan said the claim by the Tinubu campaign is not only ludicrous but also a failed attempt to impugn the impeccable character and integrity of Atiku.
The statement added:“Itis imperative to observe that our campaign had focused on issues and refrained from Tinubu’s appalling health issues prior to this ignoble public dance of the Tinubu/ Shettima campaign.
“However, since Tinubu by himself has opened the channels for Nigerians to examine his ill-health, we have no other option but to further expose that the APC candidate must be suffering from manifest Parkinson’s disease accompanied with incontinence.
“It is rather unfortunate that the APC presidential candidate, who cannot stand erect or walk up an elevation unaided, who is plagued by visible tremor of the hands, who palpitates at the slight- est physical exertion and who is reported in the public space as being challenged by incontinence,couldattempt to speak on the health status of any Nigerian.
“Furthermore, Nigerians find it incongruous that Tinubu who is badgered by a $460,000 forfeiture sen- tence for narcotic-related offence by a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States; alleged looting of Lagos State treasury as well as questionable educational background, ancestry and genealogy could attempt to speak on corruption and integrity.
“In any case, Nigerians are aware that Tinubu is not ethically, physically and mentally fit to hold office as the pres- ident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
