A former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has described the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as too old and unfit to be President of Nigeria.
He made this statement as Chairman of the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum (IECF) on Tuesday night from the United States, with about one week to the commencement of campaigns,
The organisation said that only people who were not well informed, or have lost sanity, would vote for Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State.
Ezeife was reacting to a recent report that about two weeks after his visit to the vice presidential candidate of APC, Kashim Shettima, the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum which he chairs, had been seriously divided.
The former Anambra governor confirmed that he indeed visited the former Borno state governor to assist a businessman whose warehouse was bulldozed by the Borno State Government.
He said that aside from Tinubu “being too old for the office of President of Nigeria”, the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the former governor had knocked off his chances.
Ezeife said, “Yes, I went, uninvited, to Shettima, I was accompanied by a Maiduguri-born and brought-up businessman of South-East extraction. Why? More than a year ago, a well-built young man came to my office in Abuja crying desperately. He talked like someone considering suicide! He told me that he was finished, that the clothes on him were the only property left for him. He inherited a hotel from his father and built two more hotels by himself. All three hotels and a warehouse were bulldozed by the Borno State government.
“His other properties were also seized. He had helped the campaign efforts of the current Borno State Governor (Babagana Zulum). He also bought a bus for the campaign. He was directed to come and see me. I made efforts to see the Borno State governor but did not succeed.
“Recently, the young man rushed to my office and told me that Shettima, who handed it over to the current governor can influence him to listen to his (the businessman’s) case and do some justice. He told me that if I met Shettima and pleaded with him, the problem would be solved. He added that Shettima was in town (Abuja) that day.
“That if we went, we would meet him at his Abuja residence. As he saw it, my meeting with Shettima would end his frustration, suffering and threat to his life. I did not give it a second thought because the young man spoke from the depth of his heart. I jumped into the car with him and we headed to where he knew Shettima was.
“Shettima received me with great respect and did not keep me waiting too long before calling me in for discussion. I pleaded with Shettima to appeal to his successor for some justice to be done to the businessman.
“He listened carefully and I was amazed by his positive responses which included a commitment to help the businessman directly by himself if the Governor does not do enough. I was elated and I thanked him profusely.
“As we were leaving the office, Shettima bade me goodbye with a handshake. I did see camera men taking pictures of us. But I knew what I went for. I shall go to anybody who can genuinely help a person in life-threatening distress. There was nothing political in the visit. Truly, I do not consider Shettima an opponent in the 2023 presidential election. Why?
“His principal, Jagaban Tinubu, is really not well. Only people who are not well informed, or have lost sanity, will vote for him to go and die in AsoRock,” Ezeife said.
The Tinubu campaign has consistently denied the allegations of ill-health.