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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has denied the reports making the rounds that he met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in France.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday night by his media aide, Tunde Rahman.
The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Drainage and Water Resources, Joe Igbokwe, had via a post on his Facebook page on Thursday said Wike was having a meeting with Tinubu in France.
Igbokwe, a former spokesperson for the APC in Lagos State, wrote: “While they are on social media abusing everybody, Governor Wike goes to France to meet Asiwaju. Abuse, calling names, hate and bigotry are no strategy. They hated and abused PMB (President Muhammadu Buhari) since 2015 and now they have transferred the aggression to Asiwaju. We wait and see.”
But in the statement, Rahman dismissed Igbokwe’s post.
“We have seen a viral social media post made by one of the chieftains of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and media reports emanating from same about a supposed meeting in France between APC presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
“It has become imperative to set the record straight. Although Asiwaju Tinubu is presently in France, he didn’t have any meeting with Governor Wike whether in that country or anywhere whatsoever. This, however, does not detract from the fact that the APC presidential candidate holds Governor Wike in high esteem. And given the national and across-party lines appeal of Asiwaju Tinubu’s candidature, he will not hesitate to meet any important national leader when desirable,” the statement read.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson in Rivers State, Sydney Gbara, described as false the reports that Wike travelled to France to meet with Tinubu.
In a statement issued on Friday, Gbara said: “There is nothing like that. His Excellency went on vacation after working so hard towards the special convention and you saw how he travelled round the country to campaign. It is only natural for a man who has worked that hard to take a little time out to rest.
“He has said it times without number that he is a party man, so, it is out of place for people to begin to insinuate that he would want to have a secret meeting with Tinubu in France or any other place. He is a man who does anything he wants openly. He’s not a pretender.”