Contrary to media reports, Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, claimed on Saturday that he had no meetings with the PDP’s five governors while he was in London.
The former governor of Lagos State issued a warning to individuals spreading rumours about him and penning unsupported publications.
He did, however, add that he had the right to meet with any political figure or stakeholder who was relevant to his campaign and his ambitions for the nation and who wanted to talk to him.
The G-5 group, whose chairman is Governor Nyesom Wike of the state of Rivers, has been at odds with the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Samuel Ortom are other G-5 members (Benue).
The group, which was also called the Integrity Group, said that they would not back Atiku unless the party’s chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, was fired.
However, Tinubu said in a statement released yesterday by his media office and signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman that the media’s reporting on the alleged meeting was, to put it mildly, in bad faith and harboured malign intentions.
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He stated that he was unwaveringly committed to his campaign goals, which are designed to help him win the forthcoming presidential election and implement the APC’s Action Plan, which aims to provide our people with “renewed hope” in all areas of their lives.
The APC presidential candidate made it clear that neither the stories nor their well-known sponsors concerned him.
The truth, according to Tinubu, is that he arrived in London on Boxing Day, Monday, December 26, 2022, to spend a few days getting ready for his journey to Saudi Arabia.
He said that after spending some time in London, he had travelled to Mecca and was currently performing the Umrah.
According to Tinubu, “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in London during the week on his way to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as is customary with him when a year is nearing its conclusion to take time off his busy schedules, take a little break, and continue to Saudi Arabia to observe Umrah (the lesser Hajj).
“While in the UK, Asiwaju Tinubu took note of some articles in various national newspapers in Nigeria that claimed a secret meeting between him and the G-5 governors, who are all PDP supporters, was held in London.”
“These reports, to put it mildly, are not only maliciously intended, but also made in poor faith. They were released in order to further the political objectives of the authors and their backers.
“But we must emphasise that the APC candidate has the right to meet with any political figure or stakeholder who is crucial to his campaign and his aspirations for the nation and who wants to interact with him,” he continued.
The former governor of Lagos State announced that he will be coming home in the following two days to carry on the campaign.
