If you are ever sad and need something to cheer you up, watching what Bola Ahmed Tinubu, All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential candidate, does (or in this case, doesn’t do) will do the trick.
Since Tinubu started running the presidential race for the APC in January 2022, social media streets haven’t remained the same. From political gaffes to fitness jpegs, and even sleeping during critical events, Tinubu has done it all.
In addition to his long list of sins, we find that Tinubu has made it a habit to be absent from crucial events, the most recent example being the Arise Presidential Town Hall Meeting / Debate on November 6, 2022.
In this meeting, the candidates were meant to give voters some oral insight into what they would achieve should they become president. Yes, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) did not attend but his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa went in his stead.
BAT did not send anybody, not even his usual errand boy representative, Kashim Shettima, and was too busy turning up at Col. Sani Bello’s 80th birthday owambe.
[Image Source: @TinubuMediaS on Twitter]
As the social media pressure got werser over his absence, Tinubu’s campaign team felt that it was only fair to apologize to the public for his absence. But even that apology, well….
What does the apology mean?
To summarize the long grammar, here is what he basically said:
- We couldn’t care less about any debates. Wetin concern us?
- The reason why we can’t care for any debate is because we are too busy to think about the debate. If you want to know our plans, read the manifesto.
- We are bosses that cherry-pick who we want to speak to, and when we want to speak to them. Selah.
What does Tinubu’s attendance sheet look like?
As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t the only time Tinubu didn’t feel like showing up. Let’s give some other examples:
The 2022 NBA conference
While his colleagues Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Dumebi Kachikwu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, and Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were present, Tinubu was absent from the conference and only represented by Shettima.
However, it seems as though Shettima had some dress code prepping on ‘fashion drips’ from BAT, as he came looking like a ‘cool kid’ wearing sneakers on a suit.
[Image Source: Vanguard Newspapers]
If you are waiting for an explanation of Tinubu’s absence, don’t hold your breath. He didn’t give any.
The ICAN conference
It’s interesting to note that Tinubu, who has repeatedly claimed to have an accounting background with big firms like Deloitte and Mobil, blatantly decided not to come to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria’s conference in Abuja in October 2022.
That could have been a very good time for Tinubu to showcase his economic plans for the country, as the conference was centered on sustainability for national prosperity.
Even Yele Sowore, presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), took a swipe at him, as he wondered why a whole “Chicago University Accounting Guru” decided not to show up for an ICAN event. Well, we are wondering too.
The LCCI conference
Yet again, Tinubu was too shy to share in detail his economic plans for the country, as he postponed his address for the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on October 28, 2022.
Instead, he set up a ‘business summit’ with the moneybags of the private industry to share those plans with them instead. Why was this done? Did he feel he would have more control over an audience that wouldn’t give him tough questions? We may never know.
How do citizens feel?
If there is one word that sums up the public opinion of Tinubu’s absence, it’s pissed. Here’s what some Nigerians had to say about this:
https://twitter.com/MrOdanz/status/1589396951824355328?s=20&t=9JgnP3IB_FLmogyh0UPnbA
