The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has spoken on controversies surrounding Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate.
Mr Gbajabiamila spoke at the party’s presidential rally held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Surulere area of Lagos on Saturday.
He told thousands of supporters how to respond to those asking questions around Mr Tinubu’s age and education, corruption allegations and the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Present at the rally were the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Mr Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima; Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai and other party chieftains and supporters.
Mr Gbajabiamila described Mr Tinubu as the “greatest politician in Nigeria’s modern day politics.”
Age
Concerning Mr Tinubu’s age, the House Spesker told the supporters to tell those who are still in doubt about the presidential hopeful, to ask his deceased mother.
“He is the age his mother said he is,” he said.
“And if they doubt his age, they should go and meet his mother to reconfirm.”
The age and educational background of Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, has been subjects of controversy.
Although, on 29 March he had his 70th birthday celebration, his opponents continue to raise questions about his age.
Education
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Speaking on Mr Tinubu’s education, Mr Gbajabiamila asked the supporters, “tell them, he is more educated than all the contestants put together.”
Mr Tinubu is jostling for the presidential seat with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party and 15 others.
Corruption allegations
Addressing the corruption allegations against Mr Tinubu, Mr Gbajabiamila said they have no basis.
“Tell them he is the most investigated in the history of Nigeria and nothing has been found on him.”
Muslim-Muslim ticket
The speaker further said that the supporters should tell those condemning Mr Tinubu’s choice of running mate that “God is moving mysteriously in ways that they cannot understand.”
The decision by Mr Tinubu, a Muslim, to pick Mr Shettima, a former governor of Borno and also a Muslim as his running mate, has drawn different reactions from Nigerians.
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Some members of the APC have also condemned his choice, calling for fairness.
The speaker said Mr Tinubu “has developed men and women who in turn have developed Nigeria.”
“They said that they want him in America, please don’t argue with them. Tell them that the Americans have said repeatedly that they do not know what they are talking about,” he said.
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