A former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Nicholas Felix, has raised concerns that the party’s flag-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has frozen him out of his campaign ahead of the 2023 general election.
Felix’s outburst is three weeks after the convention that produced Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate.
Recall that the youngest presidential aspirant had withdrawn from the contest and declared his support for Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the convention ground at Eagle Square in Abuja.
Felix had said during his withdrawal speech that Osinbajo was the best man for the job, adding that he firmly believed that he could turn around the country’s fortune for good.
However, against his expectation, the former Lagos state governor floored Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and 11 other aspirants to claim the most coveted ticket, The Punch reports.
Felix said, “Asiwaju has not reached out to me. Neither has any member of his campaign team. No one has called me. I am about the only candidate Asiwaju has yet to meet. I don’t know the reason. Maybe it was because I stepped down for the vice president or didn’t support the idea of a possible Muslim-Muslim ticket,”
There have been insinuations that Tinubu embarked on the trip to France to further consultations on the choice of his running mate.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, said “Unfortunately, we all know Asiwaju is not in town. But Nigerians are aware of how he visited all the aspirants after the primary. Perhaps (he) was not in town. Maybe he was in America or somewhere. I don’t want to join issues with him.
“If Asiwaju has not reached out to him as he said, I am sure by the time he returns from France, he will cover up whatever gaps exist. I don’t want us to get dragged into that. It is possible that it is even an oversight. As a politician, he doesn’t neglect anybody or see people as not being important. I am sure it wasn’t a deliberate act or hidden agenda on his part. Everybody is important to him.”
Meanwhile, contrary to widespread reports Tinubu has denied meeting with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in France.
