By Charles Igbo
When the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, visited Ebonyi State, South-east, Nigeria, on Thursday, in continuation of his Presidential rally, he was given a Chieftaincy title of “Dike Di Ora Nma (A hero loved by the people). It was a first for Tinubu since the Campaign began. No other State which he visited had deemed it fit to honour him with a Chieftaincy title.
A few days ago, too, when he went to Imo State to talk with South- East businessmen and stakeholders, Imo also scored a first. The State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, announced a donation of the sum of One Billion Naira to Tinubu’s Campaign coffers. The Governor said it was on behalf of 2,000 Igbo businessmen. It is the first time any such donation was publicly given to Tinubu.
But according to his erstwhile close friend and political ally, Tinubu may be laughing at the kind gestures. According to Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as far as the Presidential election is concerned, Tinubu does not think Igbo votes matter. He thinks they are of no use. They should be ignored.
Lawal, a chieftain of the APC, spoke on Thursday in an interview with Channels Television. He revealed that during the Campaign for the Presidential Primary, Tinubu stopped them from going to the South-east to lobby delegates for votes, telling them Igbo votes do not matter.
Lawal “During the Convention, he did not even allow us to go to the South-east. He said it is a waste of time and money.”
Insisting that Tinubu would not win the Presidential seat in 2023, Lawal said: “South-south is not his territory. So, where is he going to get votes?”
In Ebonyi on Thursday, Tinubu had promised: “I believe in the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo. I encouraged a lot of Igbo businesses and investments in Lagos, and will even do more if I become President.
“If elected, there will be no discrimination. Igbo interests will be respected and protected. I will also encourage policies to aid commerce and support South-east States to reach their full potential.”
Lawal fell out with Tinubu over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC. According to Lawal, fielding two Muslims candidates is an insult on Northern Christians.
He said being close to Tinubu, he had, on a number of occasions, advised him against picking a Muslim as his running mate. But he said it was of no use as Tinubu chose to ignore all Northern Christians, and continued with the marginalization of Christians.
Lawal: “APC is not on the ballot. I told my friend (Tinubu) before the ticket issue came up, I said if you are going for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, the consequence is that every Christian all over Nigeria would feel slighted. Not only in the country, but every Christian all over the World would feel slighted and their religion insulted.”
On Thursday, Lawal endorsed the Presidential ticket of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
