Obaseki’s aide attacks Keyamo for allegedly misrepresenting governor

A statement by the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, signed by Festus Keyamo, SAN, has drawn the ire of Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation and Deputy Director, Media & Publicity, State Campaign Management Council, Chris Osa Nehikhare.

Keyamo reportedly issued a statement titled: “Obaseki’s ‘break-up’ Statement: A study in sheer hypocrisy.”

It was his response to a remark by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State that Nigeria would break up if APC remains in power beyond 2023.

Keyamo, who is the Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesperson for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, described Obaseki’s remarks as attacks on the unity of the country.
 
But Nehikhare in a statement, yesterday, described Keyamo’s reaction as a total misrepresentation of what the governor meant.

He said: “It is infantile and mischievous for a SAN to misrepresent a response to a question by our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubarkar. I won’t waste Nigerians’ time explaining that, as discerning minds know exactly what Atiku said.

“With his principal’s entitlement mentality, when we hear Keyamo talk about historical stance of APC northern governors, we giggle in disbelief and wonder if he believes what he is saying as it is common knowledge that out of fear, blackmail, Emilokán and lack of self-conviction on how to sell the APC brand to Nigerians, they refused to contest. Even offering them power as alluded to by Keyamo was not enough incentive for governors too embarrassed to campaign with their party’s catastrophic handling of our nation’s affairs in the last seven years.”

According to him, it is hypocritical that a party that ran a northern candidate against a serving southern incumbent one-term President in 2015 will call anyone insensitive to power rotation.

“Isn’t it hypocritical, when against the sensibilities of all well-meaning Nigerians, with different religious bodies and even the fair-minded members of the APC; the APC is still adamantly defending a Muslim-Muslim ticket of their presidential and vice presidential candidates?

“Any interest, which seriously believes in our continuous unity, should feel provoked and be suggestive of ways to avoid the apparent calamity which the APC is aiming to foist on our political space with such stubborn and obtrusive political ambition, which glaringly is a departure from the understanding, fair play, tolerance, fellow-feelings and patriotic fervours that have nurtured our togetherness thus far. Isn’t this hypocritical?”