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Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has cautioned the supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, against painting a wrong picture of what transpired during their meeting.
Tinubu's visit: Pulse had earlier reported that the former President welcomed the erstwhile Lagos State Governor to his Abeokuta residence on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, where they both held a meeting behind closed doors.
Among those who accompanied Tinubu on the trip were APC chieftains including the Governor Dapo Abiodun, his Deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele and former Governors, Olusegun Osoba, Gbenga Daniel.
Also part of the visiting party were former interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.
Gbaja's endorsement claim: Even though Obasanjo and Tinubu refused to address the press after the meeting, Gbajabiamila came out barely 24 hours later to reveal what transpired when the two Yoruba leaders met behind closed doors.
While speaking at an APC meeting held in Surulere on Thursday, August 18 2022, the Speaker, who claimed to be present at the closed-door meeting, said from what he heard there, Tinubu’s presidency was almost a reality.
Gbaja's words: “When we were going to Obasanjo’s house, we were eight, including Asiwaju Tinubu and me; we didn’t want many people to know about the meeting. So, we were to meet Obasanjo and five others from his side.
“But when we eventually got there, we met something pleasantly shocking: a mammoth crowd of our supporters were already at the former president’s house waiting for us.
“So, Obasanjo told Asiwaju Tinubu to pick three people from his side and that he would pick three from his side to meet behind close doors. So, I, Chief Osoba and Chief Akande and Asiwaju went from our side. My people, what I heard there, what Obasanjo said, the victory of Asiwaju is assured.
“Obasanjo spoke at length and we were all happy. He embraced our candidate like a brother, gave him a pat on the back, and prayed for him copiously.”
Obasanjo refutes: In what appeared like a counter to the Speaker's claim, Obasanjo in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday, said the statements coming from those claiming to be supporters of Tinubu are “unhelpful.”
The former President maintained that the discussion during the visit was “more brotherly than political”, adding that the decision not to address the press was at the request of the visitor to which he (Obasanjo) also agreed.
Obasanjo's word: “Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statement on the discussion and those crediting to me statement I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good.”