Tanko accuses Tinubu of preparing ground for violence

Chief spokesperson of Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, has indicated that the speech by All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on grabbing political power could serve as a recipe for violence in next year’s general elections.

Tinubu spoke of power grabbing in a London restaurant, while addressing his supporters in the diaspora.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja, Tanko said: “This is coming from a presidential candidate that is too un-presidential. How can a man who wants to govern over 200 million Nigerians use such words?

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to go to a civilised clime and start talking about power grabbing in a U.K. restaurant for that matter, and I very much doubt whether the APC presidential candidate has even bothered to sign the peace accord for the 2023 polls.

“If he has done it, then his utterance on grabbing power, at all cost, is uncalled for because this is capable of making his supporters have that mindset of using violence to get votes.

“Elections must be conducted in violence-free environment, and Tinubu saying things like this is really unpalatable, barely three months to the presidential election.

“It’s saddening to hear one of us, the most experienced politician in Nigeria, talking in this manner, with people clapping and hailing him.”