The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) of spreading false information about his presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
Following the release of the document, INEC, through its spokesman, Festus Okoye, denied that it was investigating the APC presidential candidate, claiming that the report was false and deceptive.
In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga accused the opposition parties of sponsoring fake news against Tinubu.
Onanuga said the PDP and the LP have realised they have no sure path to victory in the February 2023 presidential election, hence their campaign of calumny, disinformation and misinformation.
He stated that Tinubu has promised that the campaign will be about issues that affect the lives of Nigerians and how to proffer workable and enduring solutions that will improve quality of life of Nigerians.
The statement reads: “The opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its subsidiary Labour Party having realised they have no sure path to victory in the February 2023 presidential election upped their campaign of calumny, disinformation and misinformation on Saturday by sponsoring fake news against the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We understand why they did so: the forgery and its narrative fit their mindset of throwing overboard every known virtue of ethical journalism and professionalism, as they work in cahoots with the opposition to defame Asiwaju Tinubu.
This inglorious path has been taken before since 2003 and in the run-up to the primaries of the ruling APC that produced Asiwaju Tinubu as the presidential torch bearer. Those who took this damned path of infamy lost their bet because Asiwaju Tinubu stands rock solid and indestructible.
“Our candidate has consistently said he will make this campaign about issues that affect the lives of Nigerians and how to proffer workable and enduring solutions that will improve quality of life of our people who are looking for leaders at all levels to improve their lives and sow the seeds of prosperity in our country.
“He has demonstrated this resolve by publishing an 80-page manifesto tagged Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, which he has been selling to strategic sectoral groups in the country.
“We had hoped anyone aspiring to lead our country at this time will be a natural subscriber to this noble and higher goal.
“It is clear the opposition parties and purveyors of fake news have other negative ideas: they want to make this election cycle more about muckraking and mudslinging.”
Labour Party Replies APC
The Labour Party requested that the ruling party search its ranks for those responsible for the forgery.
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, told Vanguard on Sunday that it was depressing that a party whose candidate has issues with records has the audacity to accuse innocent people of doing the same.
He warned the APC Campaign not to drag it into its sinking campaign with unfounded allegations.
Yunusa said, “It is on record that our presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has never falsified any record about his age, his academic credentials, or had cause to deny his place or birth or his parents.
“It is inconceivable for a presidential campaign whose candidate has been unable to come clean about his background to accuse us of conniving with another opposition party to falsify documents.
“Our advice to the APC is for it to face issues and stop diverting attention.”
