PDP Campaign Slams Tinubu Over ‘Attack’ On THISDay/Arise News

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, Bola Tinubu, over a verbal attack on THISDAY newspaper and Arise Television.

Naija News reports that the media group had accused the APC Campaign Council of demanding the removal of Shaka Momodu, THISDAY editor, and Rufai Oseni, The Morning Show co-host, from their current positions.

In a publication on Monday, the media group said the APC campaign accused it of blackmail and attempting to bully and silence independent media as the general elections approach.

Reacting in a statement on Monday night, the Directorate of the Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign berated the media group for accusing its leadership of trying to silence free and fair journalism.

In the statement issued by Bayo Onanuga and Dele Alake, the APC campaign said the accusation of attempting to bully the media is “baseless and stupid”.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Tuesday, the spokesman of the PDP campaign team, Kola Ologbondiyan, advised Tinubu to provide answers surrounding his shady past rather than resort to bullying media outfits.

The PDP chieftain added that the APC flagbearer and his campaign team should stop attempting to play the victim just to divert public attention from his very unpleasant past.

He said: “It is the reprehensible and unmistakable sign of culpability that Asiwaju Tinubu and his campaigners have desperately resorted to bullying, intimidating, and harassing media houses and journalists with a view to silence and stop them from questioning Asiwaju Tinubu on allegations of perjury, forgery, corruption, massive treasury-looting and reported link to narcotics for which he forfeited a whooping sum of $460,000 through the Order of a Court of competent jurisdiction in the United States of America.

“We, therefore, consider this diversionary approach by the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign as a very unwholesome and unacceptable assault on the very bedrock of democracy which is the right of the people to know, through a free press.”

Ologbondiyan said the APC flagbearer must prepare to explain himself to Nigerians, having decided to contest to be President of Nigeria in 2023.

He asserted that Tinubu must be ready to face the media which has the basic constitutional responsibility to seek information on behalf of every Nigerian.

The PDP chieftain described the verbal attack of This Day/Arise News and the demand for the sack of its workers for performing their professional and constitutional duties as irresponsible and thoughtless.

He added: “It is irresponsible, thoughtless, and incautious that the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign will abandon its responsibility of assisting its Candidate to offer an explanation, rather than attacking media houses and demanding the sack of media practitioners for performing their professional and constitutional duties.

“The action of the TInubu/Shettima Campaign Organization further confirms that Asiwaju Tinubu lacks democratic credentials and has no business contesting for the office of the President of a country like Nigeria where citizens are resolute in their demand for a credible and acceptable leader, who has no skeleton of narcotics hidden in his cupboard.

“Indeed, Asiwaju Tinubu has shown that he does not possess the qualities of the leader Nigerians are yearning for at this critical time of our history.

“Our campaign urges Asiwaju Tinubu to note that his diversionary tactic and attack on the media will not stop Nigerians from raising the necessary posers.”