During the unveiling of his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday in Abuja, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
Has hit back at those who accused his team of employing street urchins and dressed them as Christian clerics
In a statement sent through his campaign organization, Tinubu said that priests were welcome to attend the gathering. A charge that the opposition is taking advantage of the incident to encourage unwarranted assaults against APC
The viral photos and videos of certain clergymen and women at the unveiling were also referred to as unwanted distractions. Bayo Onanuga, director of media and communication for the Tinubu Campaign Organization TCO.
Onanuga claimed that because the gathering was open to the public, people from the clergy and several other groups who are now being disparaged by opposition hirelings were able to attend.
See the full statement From Tinubu Campaign Organization TCO
We want to clarify that, contrary to what the spreaders of hatred have led Nigerians to believe on social media, those priests were not imposters, mechanics, or yam vendors.
They are steadily expanding their missions; they are not yet well-known in Christendom.
They are pastors who firmly think that Nigerians should shun politics of prejudice and hatred and instead support politics of peace and nation-building.
Therefore, we regret the false accusations made against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Shettima as well as the hysterical twisting of the presence of these men and women dressed in cassocks.
The men’s appearance has caused an unnecessary social media phenomenon that is only intended to diminish the enormous success that was achieved at the historic event on Wednesday.
Nigerians, in our opinion, are too intelligent and perceptive to fall for this ruse.
Asiwaju Tinubu, his running mate, and our fantastic party are working really hard to provide the Nigerian people with effective leadership and progressive governance that will enhance their quality of life.
We are well aware that the formidable political backgrounds of our candidates have the opposing parties and the sponsors of the social media hoax on edge and alarmed.
They can only hope to divert public attention from their unimpressive candidate resumes and qualifications by using social media diversion.
Our campaign is committed to concentrating on fundamental governance issues that concern every Nigerian in order to address them and raise the level of living of our people as much as possible.