The All Progressives Congress and its allied groups on Sunday said the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would trounce his Peoples Democratic Party’s counterpart, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, in any debate.
But the Peoples Democratic Party restated its challenge to Tinubu that he should subject himself to an hour media interview to test if he would be mentally present to do so.
APC chieftains including the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka; Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Bayo Shittu: the Coordinator, Tinubu Mandate Group, Pastor Olufemi Bakare; and the Director-General of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Sanwo-Olu Projects, Mr Emmanuel Amuwo, however, faulted the PDP, saying Tinubu would defeat Atiku in any debate.
The contention between the two leading candidates started when Atiku, in an interview with Arise TV on Friday, said he turned down Tinubu’s request to be his running mate in the 2007 presidential election because he was opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
In his response, Tinubu said he never lobbied to be Atiku’s running mate but was instead offered the ticket by the former Vice-President when they were members of the Action Congress which Atiku had joined after leaving the PDP.
Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, had in a statement on Saturday night challenged Tinubu to subject himself to an hour interview as Atiku did if he was mentally present and articulate to do so.
Shittu berates Atiku
A former Minister of Communication and Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu also boasted that his principal would trounce Atiku, who he believed was merely seeking for attention.
He stated, “When I heard Atiku challenging Tinubu to a one-hour public debate, I laughed. One thing he seems to be forgetting is that the individual capacity during a debate differs. He may probably have assumed that Asiwaju can’t beat him in an open contest because he is a taciturn fellow.
