Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has given reasons for visiting President Bola Tinubu.
On Friday, Mr Sowunmi visited President Tinubu in Lagos and spent part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations with him, a visit that surprised many political analysts and observers.
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On Sunday, the PDP chieftain wrote on his social media handle that the meeting was “engaging and nostalgic.”
Mr Sowunmi’s sudden romance with Mr Tinubu has since sparked reactions. He was a fierce critic of the President until very recently.
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Why I went to Tinubu
Speaking on the Channels TV programme “Politics Today” on Tuesday, Mr Sowunmi explained that he visited President Tinubu for three reasons.
According to him, he went to the President because of the “faltering democracy”, which he (Sowunmi) said was not his Mr Tinubu’s fault.
He also said he began to be a “little bit uncomfortable with demonising all policies by those who don’t understand what it takes to design futuristic ideas that could work.”
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Mr Sowunmi further said he wanted to engage with Mr Tinubu.
Tinubu is smarter than his opponents
Mr Sowunmi said, despite Mr Tinubu’s frailty, his “brain is very alert,” noting that he answered all his questions without looking at any book.
Pointing his index finger to his lip, implying that he was speaking the truth, the PDP chieftain’s demeanour during the interview appeared as someone in love.
Mr Sowunmi said the president was “psychologically and mentally alert” during his visit.
Ready to dump PDP, work with Tinubu
Even as a PDP member, Mr Sowunmi said he could work with Mr Tinubu.
He, however, noted that if he were appointed to any position by Mr Tinubu, he would leave the PDP.
Asked if his move had betrayed Atiku, Mr Sowunmi said Atiku was running a coalition he was not part of.
“Is he (Atiku) running for president now? He’s running a coalition that everybody knows I am not part of. Who would even in your wildest dreams think I don’t have my individuality because of what? Do you know how long I have been at the party?” he asked.
Not alone
Lately, there have been high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the president’s party, a development poised to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape.
READ ALSO: Like governors, PDP senators oppose Atiku’s coalition plan
Mr Sowunmi is not the only former spokesperson for Atiku, a former vice-president, who is now romancing President Tinubu.
In November 2024, Daniel Bwala, a consistent critic of the president and former spokesperson for Atiku in 2023, was appointed his (Tinubu) special adviser after months of making overtures to the Nigerian leader.
Another critic, Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, then of the PDP, has been swerving in support of the president, though he is yet to get an official appointment in the APC-led federal government.
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