Okowa tell Tinubu to focus on issues rather than individuals.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.

Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate, has urged Senator Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, to discuss issues rather than individuals ahead of the 2023 general election.

Okowa made the call through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in response to a statement attributed to Tinubu in which he reportedly said his running mate was better than the PDP presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Ifeajika stated that the decision on who was the better vice presidential candidate of the major political parties and which party to vote for in the 2023 general election was for Nigerians to make, rather than for one individual to try to influence by disparaging opponents.
According to him, Atiku chose Okowa as his running mate because of his rising political profile, contributions to national development, and outstanding performance as governor over the last seven years.

The CPS informed Okowa that disparaging the PDP’s Vice-Presidential candidate would not diminish his political credentials. He also reminded Tinubu and the APC-led federal government of the importance of keeping their 2015 campaign promises to Nigerians before running for reelection in 2023.

“In an interview on ARISE TV a few days ago, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said that Sen. Bola Tinubu approached him in 2007 to be his running mate in the defunct AC, but he (Atiku) declined the request because he was opposed to Muslim-Muslim ticket.”

Sen. Tinubu attacked our governor, claiming that his running mate was superior to Atiku’s choice of Sen. Okowa.

“We know Senator Bola Tinubu as a good politician and former governor of Lagos State.” However, we anticipate that he is aware that other politicians are towering, good, patriotic, and have attempted to be statesmen.

“And Delta Governor and, by God’s grace, PDP vice presidential candidate Okowa falls into this category.” If Tinubu believes he is good, he should not assume that other good or even better people will not exist in the political arena where he thrives. He selected his running mate based on whatever criteria he had in mind. “I’m sure Atiku had the same factors in mind when he chose Senator Ifeanyi Okowa over all the other candidates screened,” he said.

Declaring that politics was a game of competence rather than turns, Okowa reminded Tinubu that the National Health Act in place today was the result of his (Okowa’s) effort while in the Senate, and urged him to check in case he didn’t know or had forgotten.

He also stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Okowa chaired critical committees and sub-committees established by the APC-led federal government to assist in mitigating the scourge’s challenges.

According to the CPS, “Governor Okowa is well educated and owned certificates that are in the public domain and verifiable,” in contrast to Tinubu, who had no certificate to show to meet part of the constitutional requirements for contesting the election.

“We know Senator Bola Tinubu has been in the news recently for not-so-good reasons.” We are not surprised that he took an unjustified jab at the PDP Vice-Presidential Candidate because that is his trademark. It’s his character to abuse and ignore. ” We recall Tinubu boasting that he made Buhari President and that it was now his turn to be President of Nigeria. In other words, he’s been putting people there, but now it’s his turn to be one of them.

“Those who follow social media would have seen the mockery that followed that comment. “He, Tinubu, has also been reported to have said that if he wants to be president, he will fight dirty.”

And, regarding the Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, he reportedly stated that the man will labor in vain.

“These are the languages with which Senator Tinubu has become associated.” So it’s not surprising that, in an attempt to distance himself from Atiku, who stated that Tinubu approached him to be his running mate and he declined, he (Tinubu) attacked an innocent man, Okowa, who is not in direct competition with him. We are requesting that Tinubu face his opponent. He is running on a joint ticket with whom he has chosen as his running mate, as has Atiku. So he should be concerned with how to get to the contest while avoiding the calumny campaign.

“He should be discussing issues affecting people’s general well-being, not individuals.”

Dr. Okowa’s CV is available in the public domain as governor and PDP Vice Presidential candidate. He has a track record and is well-known. As a result, Tinubu’s remark cannot diminish what Okowa has accomplished.

“Senator Tinubu should focus on the contest at hand. Given the amount of baggage that people are aware of, he has a lot to deal with. Aside from being referred to as “the national leader” of the APC by its members, what we have on Tinubu is that he was a senator for a brief period of time and a two-term former governor.

“Senator Okowa served two terms as governor of Nigeria.” So it is up to Nigerians to decide who is the better person in all of this. Who has done well, not only for his state, but also for the country, by adding value?”

“As a senator, Okowa was instrumental in the birth of our national health policy, which Nigerians now enjoy,” he said. So, Nigerians must assess what Tinubu and Okowa have in the public domain to determine who is superior,” he said.

The CPS also stated that the presidential ticket of Atiku/Okowa posed a significant threat to the APC, recalling the party’s devastating woes since taking office in 2015.

He noted that the ruling party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket had provided Christians with a unique opportunity to vote for the PDP, a development he said would allow all Nigerians to be represented at the federal level.

Ifeajika stated that Delta was home to all tribes because the governor believed in the unity of the country and advocated for peaceful coexistence throughout the country.