According to him, with barely 100 days to the presidential election, the remaining 17 presidential candidates have had interviews with the media except Tinubu.
The camp of Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, has criticised his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for failing to show up at the debates organised by Arise TV.
The debate was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Development and Democracy at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Sunday.
While Ifeanyi Okowa, vice-presidential candidate of the PDP represented Atiku, the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu did not send any representative to the event.
In his reaction to why Tinubu was absent at Sunday’s event, Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson of the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) said he did not attend to avoid “selective appearance.”
Keyamo, in a statement, explained that several television stations had indicated interest to host similar events.
He said Tinubu had no plan to attend any but preferred to speak to Nigerians directly.
Reacting, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant, Public Communications to Atiku in a statement on Monday said the APC candidate shunned the presidential debate because he was too timid to answer questions.
According to him, with barely 100 days to the presidential election, the remaining 17 presidential candidates have had interviews with the media except Tinubu.
He said, “Conscience is an open wound only the truth can heal, says the great Usman Dan Fodio. Unfortunately, when a person’s persona is built on a lie, then such a person’s conscience will continually haunt him, forcing him to exhibit paranoia even when no one is chasing him.
"This describes the character of APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His birth, education, source of wealth and even his identity have remained a source of controversy since 1999 when he was first inaugurated as governor of Lagos State and was challenged in court by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN).
"Since then, Tinubu has continued to avoid public scrutiny or elaborate media interviews where he can answer questions about his source of wealth and his background. Now that he is seeking the highest office in the land, Tinubu has made it clear that he will not attend media interviews or debates. In other words, he wants automatic job employment without an interview.
"What an irony, given that this is a man who claims to have the mental capacity to transform Nigeria. It is more worrisome coming just a few days after the Youth Leader of the APC, Dayo Israel, said whether Nigerians like it or not, Tinubu will be the next President. Perhaps, he seeks to become President through the backdoor.
"On the surface, it may appear as arrogance but it is much deeper and more sinister. This is a clear attempt by a man to defraud over 200 million people and is asking them not to interrogate him.
"Since emerging as the Presidential candidate of the party in early June, Tinubu has not shared a stage with any of the candidates. He was absent from the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), he was absent from the Peace Accord signing, he failed to attend the conference by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and recently, he did not deem it fit to grace the Arise Town hall meeting even though he was in Abuja.
"A day earlier, Waziri Atiku Abubakar had granted a live interview to the Voice of America. He was on his way back but couldn’t make it in time for the Arise TV Town hall and informed the organisers that he would not be able to attend because he was out of the country and sent his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, to represent him. But Tinubu neither showed up nor sent a representative even though he was in Abuja.
"Instead, his Campaign Spokesman, Festus Keyamo, issued a puerile statement, saying the APC candidate would neither attend media interviews or debates but would rather attend town hall meetings organised by his party and filled with members of his party.
"Nigerians must open their eyes and not allow themselves to be deceived by a man who is bringing despair that is cloaked as renewed hope. With barely 100 days to the Presidential election, 17 Presidential candidates have had interviews with the media. Only one has continued to evade the media and that is the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
"It is clear that Tinubu is too timid to answer questions. His handlers cannot leave him on his own because he will surely goof as he has always done. Instead, they present him as a genius to Nigerians and prevent him from speaking since silence cannot be quoted. This was the same way they sold the APC in 2015 until the façade later came crashing down. Nigerians must not repeat this disaster in February lest we become a laughing stock in the comity of nations."