A spokesperson in the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Dino Melaye, raises issues about the mental and physical alertness of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, among other sundry matters, in this interview on Channels TV Politics Today, monitored by Linus Aleke

The former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said, on this platform that Atiku had not been able to unify his family and cannot, therefore, unify the country, do you agree with that assertion?

First, I will start by saying that Adams Oshiomhole is a victim of his untamed tongue. I am surprised that he is yet to learn his lessons from what his unbridled tongue had caused him, including the disgraceful, shameful, humiliating, and unceremonious exit as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Before I go any further, I want to state unequivocally that the quote on what Atiku Abubakar purportedly said in Kaduna is not true. Atiku Abubakar did not make that statement and there was nowhere where Atiku was talking about ethnic nationalities. Those are just beer parlours and street talks that he has catapulted into political relevance.

So what did Atiku Abubakar say in Kaduna?

Atiku Abubakar said that there should not be any ethnic or religious colouration in politics. He started by saying that he is a pan-Nigerian. A man who started his statement by saying that he is a pan-Nigerian, cannot in the middle of his statement begin to segregate or show some colouration. I will not want to dwell on that, rather, I will want to say that the very unprintable statement by Adams Oshiomhole on Atiku Abubakar is very disappointing. Though not too disappointing coming from him, because even unpopular prostitutes in Edo State know Adams Oshiomhole.

‘Nigeria requires 12,000 doctors annually to meet medical needs’

Senator Melaye, don’t you think you are taking this conversation personally, you are attacking personalities rather than dwelling on the core issue, why the continued attack on personalities?

I am doing that because he also, attacked Atiku personally. So, I am saying that a man with this type of moral decay has no moral ground to come to a respected studio like this and begin to disparage a nationalist, philanthropist, statesman, and former vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He (Oshiomhole) is coming to defend what is not defendable. He is coming to campaign for a bad product. I have said on this platform before now, that no person can campaign for APC without looking stupid. It is not possible, who is he trying to defend? He is trying to defend Bola Tinubu, and he is saying that Atiku is a serial divorcee. Atiku is married to Amina Titi Atiku, his first wife, that marriage is over 50 years and they are still happily together. And Oshiomhole was labouring to defend a man like Bola Tinubu. Tinubu has Folashade Tinubu-Ojo’s mother, he has Seyi’s mother, he has Jide’s mother and he has Abibat and Zainab, who are the children of Oluremi Tinubu. Five children from four women, and out of these five children, only two are known, only Folashade and Seyi are known. Out of these four women, the only one known to the public is Oluremi Tinubu. Others are mysteriously hidden somewhere that we have no record of them. Atiku Abubakar as an individual is known to all, his biography and autobiography are on the bookshelf of many. His history is as white as snow, if you read it 30 years ago, and reread it today, it is the same thing. His schoolmates can be identified, the schools he attended are known, and it is known that he is from Jeda in current-day Adamawa state. There is no controversy about his origin and identity but everything about Bola Tinubu is controversial and mysteriously controversial. Atiku does not have any controversy surrounding his identity. The most shameful aspect of it is that Bola Tinubu’s mother died a few years ago because of shame. He is ashamed of himself because he had an identity problem, he could not attend his own mother’s burial. Is that the kind of character you want to be the President of Nigeria? A man who is not physically and mentally fit, who is not complying with the provision of the constitution of Nigeria 1999 as Amended. The constitution has said that for you to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you must be physically and mentally fit. Will you hire Tinubu as an employee in your company? I am telling you that Atiku Abubakar is physically fit, he is mentally fit, there is no controversy surrounding him and nobody had accused him of dealing in narcotics, and nobody had accused him of being a consumer of drugs, he had not gone to any podium and begin to use languages that portrays him as someone suffering from advance dementia. Just today Tinubu was in Bayelsa and he still goofed in the state, talking about the Federal Development of Nigeria. This kind of comment shows a lot of mental disorderliness and psychotic factors. It is only in Nigeria that APC with the kind of manifestation of Satanism, wickedness, killing, kidnapping, poverty, and hunger, will have the temerity to come out and ask for votes. Not only asking for votes but also, having the audacity to attack a man who is mentally and physically stable, who is experienced, and who has all it takes to move us out of the woods as a country. Only a man like Adams Oshiomhole will support a man like Tinubu.

Tinubu has promised to solve the issue of poverty, neglect, and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, what plans does your candidate, Atiku Abubakar has towards ending the long-suffering of the people of the Niger Delta region?

I understand what you are saying and I want to tell you that you cannot be quoting APC or quoting Bola Tinubu if you are talking about the future of this country. If you are talking about the independence of this country. If you are talking about the economic, political, and social revival of this country. You cannot be talking about them. To start with, a leader must be coherent, a leader must be mentally and physically fit, and a leader must be able to comprehend the problems of this country and proffer solutions to them. With the manifestation of advanced dementia, APC has no solution to the problems of this country. Coming back to Atiku Abubakar, he has developed a covenant with Nigerians, which, he put up as a small readable book, called my covenant with Nigerians, and in this covenant with Nigerians he has articulated five cardinal objectives and agenda. If you take a look at our agenda, no political party or presidential candidate has a robust solution to the problems of the Niger Delta like Atiku Abubakar. Do you know why? Because he understands the problem, having sat in a vantage position as Vice President of the country. Ab-initio, he worked towards the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, it was his blueprint, and it was his initiative as a leader that gave birth to NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. So, to start with, this man who initiated the process for the creation of government institutions that will address the problem of the Niger Delta, when he was Vice President should be appreciated. He cannot do that as VP and become alien to the same problem when he becomes President. The issue of oil spillage is there, and the issue of poverty as you mentioned is also there. But through restructuring, it will be promptly addressed. Atiku is the only presidential candidate that is talking about the restructuring of the country today. Through restructuring, host communities will benefit and enjoy their natural resources and endowment. Atiku has also proposed some constitutional amendments, he had put together the best constitutional lawyers in the country today, who have proposed some amendments. If he becomes the president today, he is going to initiate that amendment that will give meaningful life to the people of the Niger Delta. And not only giving meaningful life to the people of the Niger Delta but ensuring that the relationship between the host communities and the IOC will be re-examined. As I said, not only the issue of spillage but the issue of pollution will also be looked at in its entirety. The economy and social relevance of the people of the Niger Delta, where they will have a say in the resources that are leaving their communities will be looked at. All these things are embedded in that book called my covenant with Nigerians and I am assuring you that Atiku will not give lip service. Because Atiku understands the problems.

‘Nigeria requires 12,000 doctors annually to meet medical needs’

Because your principal had not been able to unite your party, and that was what Adams Oshiomhole was referring to, how then can he unify Nigeria, do you think Nigeria can get a President that will unite us and not further divide us in 2023?

I will start by saying that instead of Adams Oshiomhole talking about what they can do as a government, he was dabbling into domestic issues and he was quoting and talking as if he was quoting the constitution of Nigeria. Number one, let us look at it, Atiku Abubakar is the most trusted presidential candidate among all the candidates. The West is comfortable with Atiku, Southerners are comfortable with him, and the Hausa Fulani are comfortable with him. Everybody is comfortable with him. They are comfortable with him because he is not only a pan-Nigerian but even witches and wizards cannot accuse him of being a religious bigot or an ethnic jingoistic. After all, everyone in this country knows Atiku Abubakar. When he was campaigning for the ticket of the PDP, he went to every part of the country and he was welcomed. Atiku was the only presidential candidate who got votes from every part of the country. Tinubu didn’t even visit the entire South-East, he did not go to any of the states in the South-East when he was going around seeking the ticket of APC. Go to the core north and mention Tinubu, nobody knows who he is, go to the South-East, he is not known by the electorates. So, the only nationalist who has got friends in every nook and cranny of this country and under his previous political positions has contacts and privileged information about every part of this country. That is why it is not a mistake that we call him a unifier, the crisis in APC is more humongous than the five governors in PDP. If Adams Oshiomhole knows the kind of conversation that is going on with top members of his party, he will retire to his sick home to take treatment. The problem in APC is too gargantuan than the five governors he is mentioning. I know that between now and the next month, our party is going to come together as one, the effort is being made for us to come together, it is just a minor misunderstanding, and it does not affect our elections.

What makes you think that Atiku Abubakar is the best of all the candidates contesting the 2023 presidential election?

Our economic and security problems are all tied to hunger, poverty, and unemployment and only a private sector-driven economy can proffer the kind of solution, Nigerian people sought. Today, Atiku Abubakar is a billionaire with enterprise, Bola Tinubu is a billionaire without enterprise. Atiku is a giant, a captain in the private sector, he is the only one that has the capacity and capability to create enabling environment for the privet sector to thrive in this country. He also has a connection with the president of our neighbouring countries and will leverage that to tame all our security problems. Atiku was trained by the Nigerian Police before he went into Nigeria Customs Service.