Melaye Goes After Keyamo and Tinubu Over Atiku Comments

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.

Although the campaign for the 2023 general election has not yet begun, a taste of what Nigerians can expect came to the fore this weekend, when Dino Melaye took on the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign spokesman, Festus Keyamo, and the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, alleging that the former Lagos State governor is seeking the presidency as an entitlement and retirement benefit.

Melaye, who was appointed last week as Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign spokesperson alongside Daniel Bwala, claimed Tinubu was running for president not for the greater good of the country, but to fulfill his “lifetime ambition.”

In a recent television interview, Keyamo, who is also the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, stated that “Atiku Abubakar has never held any government position where he makes the final decision.” He was not the president, but the vice president. He never became governor. He was never much of anything. Peter Obi has surpassed Atiku Abubakar.

“Peter Obi outperforms him in terms of decision-making ability.

“So, how are we going to hand over the country to someone who has never shown the ability, who has never held a position in which he makes the final decision?”
In response to Keyamo, Melaye stated in a video posted on his Facebook page that the PDP candidate for 2023 is well-qualified, unlike Tinubu.

He claims that Atiku is well-versed in civil administration and politics.
“Atiku Abubakar is running for president for the second or third time, and he understands this route better than Tinubu, who is running for the first time and sees it as his life entitlement and retirement benefits for supporting Buhari,” Melaye explained.
Atiku’s credentials are extensive, and he is not running on entitlements or party affiliation. He is running because he is qualified and a team player. He is a fantastic talent seeker and leader.

“Keyamo’s inactive ministerial tenure is affecting him. Because if he becomes a successful minister, he will not speak in this manner. Many Nigerians today claim to be unaware of Keyamo’s ministry because he is redundant, inactive, and invisible, and he has been completely consumed by the aura of Ngige, the superior minister.

“Keyamo will not understand that the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has some ministries, agencies, and government parastatals under his direct supervision because he has a commercialized conscience and has monetised his life.
“What he has done is disrespect the office of Nigeria’s vice president as a lawyer who understands the constitutionality and enormous responsibilities of that office.”
Melaye also questioned Keyamo’s intellectual capacity, claiming that no one who had been properly educated and raised would denigrate the office of Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I challenge you to a debate, and when we sit down, I’ll break you to pieces,” he said to Keyamo. Unfortunately, I’m doing this through social media, but I’ll wait for an invitation from another platform to meet with you so that I can expose your ignorance to Nigerians and show them how hollow you are.”
Other Atiku campaign groups responded to Keyamo’s remarks by advising Nigerian parents, “If you love your children, if you want the ASUU strike to be a thing of the past, then vote out a government that met Nigeria as the world’s third fastest growing economy, according to CNNMoney, and has now turned her into the world headquarters for extreme poverty for the last five years.”
“Atiku Abubakar has a private university that has never gone on strike,” the groups added. If you vote for him, he will do for our public university what he has done for his own.”

“It may be that Mr. Keyamo is faced with selling such a bad product as Bola Tinubu, a man who voluntarily entered into a drug assets forfeiture plea bargain with the US Department of Justice and who has multiple questions on his source of wealth, real identity, and educational qualifications, that he is doing the next best thing, de-marketing his main rival,” said Atiku’s support groups.

It is not true that vice presidents lack executive experience and capacity to the point of having the final say. In Nigeria and the United States, at least. The Vice President has final executive control and capacity over the National Economic Council under Section 153 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution, as amended.

“In fact, during the Obasanjo administration, Atiku Abubakar was the chairman of the National Economic Council.” The Vice President serves as Executive Chairman of the National Economic Council, which also includes the 36 state governors and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Bola Tinubu, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Peter Obi were all members of the National Economic Council when Atiku Abubakar was its chairman. In other words, Atiku was in charge.

“Not only was Atiku Abubakar the boss of these bosses (Tinubu, Kwankwaso, and Obi), but he also led the National Economic Council at a time when Nigeria paid off all of its foreign debts to the Paris Club and other Bretton Woods institutions, indicating that he not only has experience, but it is good experience.”
“Atiku Abubakar was also the chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, which is a statutory body, and he thrived in that position,” the Atiku groups added. That is, he has additional positive executive experience.

“It will be remembered that Atiku Abubakar served as a stand-in for then-President Obasanjo on several occasions.” On July 10, 2003, the governor of Anambra, Chris Ngige, was kidnapped while then-President Obasanjo was away and then-Vice President Atiku Abubakar was in charge. Chris Ngige revealed on August 16, 2020, how Atiku Abubakar ordered Tafa Balogun, the then Inspector General of Police, to restore him to power. Festus Keyamo will refer to it as executive authority. This is the same executive authority that allowed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to fire Lawal Daura, Director General of the Department of State Security, on August 7, 2018.

“And, while it is false to claim that Waziri Atiku Abubakar lacks executive experience, let us accept Keyamo’s pedestrianism for the sake of argument.” Before becoming President, how much executive experience did Kennedy, Obama, and Trump have? None. Nonetheless, they delivered. Tinubu, according to Keyamo, increased Lagos’ IGR. True. Tinubu, on the other hand, increased Lagos’ debt. Tinubu arrived with a debt of less than $200 million and left with a debt in the billions of dollars. Lagos alone is responsible for 6% of Nigeria’s external debt and 4% of its domestic debt.
“Tinubu’s debt exceeded his IGR, resulting in a net loss for Lagos.” Furthermore, with AlphaBeta, are we certain that the IGR reached the Lagos government’s coffers rather than private hands?”

“Additionally, Keyamo stated that Tinubu is an excellent head hunter,” the groups continued. “How is that possible when he was in charge of finding Buhari?” How can that be after bringing Ambode in and fighting him?” How can that be when his hand-picked governor in Osun was defeated by the voters and he lost the state to the PDP?” If, as Keyamo stated, Tinubu is a good manager of men and resources, how come he is the Fourth Republic’s first governor to have fought and impeached two of his own hand-picked deputy governors?”
“Can Tinubu mention those good works if he promised to continue within Buhari’s good works?” the Atiku groups asked. A man who wishes to continue Buhari’s legacy is not the best choice for Nigerians.

“However, how can the Academic Staff Union of Universities be on strike for a record period while Festus Keyamo, the minister tasked with resolving this national emergency, has left his post to promote Bola Tinubu’s campaign?” If this administration was serious about putting an end to the ASUU strike, Keyamo should have prioritized it.

“His obsession with promoting Bola Tinubu at the expense of his responsibilities as Minister of State for Labour is another reason why the ASUU strike will not be resolved quickly and will progress from an emergency to a crisis.” This administration and Keyamo are more concerned with politics than with governance.”