False claim on Obama’s invitation: Tinubu must apologise to Nigerians

THE South-West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, to apologise to Nigerians, for bringing the country into disrepute, with his lie that he was specially invited to attend the United States (US) Democratic Party convention.

The party, speaking through the media aide to Chief Segun Oni, the national vice chairman (South-West) of the party, Mr Lere Olayinka, also asked the ACN to advise Tinubu to go for deliverance, so that he could be purged of the spirit of lies that had made him to lie about everything.

“Was it the PDP that made Tinubu, in his characteristic manner, to lie that he was invited and given a Gold Card to attend the Democratic Party convention when, in actual fact, he bought his invitation with $5,000?

“To us in the PDP, the most honourable thing these fraudulent elements in the ACN must do is to own up to the fake personality that Tinubu has become and apologise to Nigerians for ridiculing the country with their lies,” the party said.

This is just as the party lambasted the ACN over its persistent criticism of the Federal Government, saying that it lacks moral rights to criticise anyone.

In a statement by Kayode Babade, the PDP zonal secretary, the party said the time had come for the ACN to face its failures in the South-West, especially in Lagos State.

Reacting, however, the ACN described the ongoing needless smear campaign and reaction to Tinubu’s attendance of the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America (USA) as symptomatic of an indolent, frightened and seemingly intimidated government suffering from misplaced priorities and whose pastime is peddling rumours.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if anyone is guilty of mischief, falsehood and deliberate attempt at misinformation on this matter, it is the PDP-led Federal Government.

According to the party, in the first instance, at no time during the controversy did the ACN issue a statement concerning Tinubu’s attendance of or invitation to the convention, adding that it was Tinubu’s media office that issued a self explanatory statement concerning the trip.

The statement, according to Mohammed, read: “Asiwaju Tinubu, former governor and national leader of the ACN will, from Monday, join the American President, leaders of the Democratic Party and thousands of party members and donors to attend a three-day National Convention of the party in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Tinubu, who was invited to the Democratic Convention in his right as the leader of the opposition and an influential figure in Nigeria, will be at the ringside as the Democratic Party conducts activities that will culminate in the nomination of President Obama as its candidate for the November 2012 Presidential Elections in the USA.

“Tinubu received a gold card which is prime and with this, he will be joined by three other eminent personalities - Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mr Dele Alake and Lagos Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.”

The party wondered what bearing Tinubu’s attendance of or manner of invitation to the convention have with the Federal Government’s inability to confront insecurity, unemployment, epileptic power supply, corruption and the myriad of other problems facing the country.

It advised the PDP-led Federal Government to be occupied with improving the economy and the lives of millions of Nigerians, rather than lecturing Nigerians on the rules of attending party conventions.