2023: Tinubu ignores presidential dialogue, attends friend’s birthday bash nearby

Mr Tinubu’s absence from the town hall meeting is the latest in his series of purposeful boycotts of public gatherings aimed at engaging directly with candidates for public office.

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, shunned the presidential candidates’ town hall meeting to discuss plans ahead of the 2023 elections.

The town hall meeting, hosted by the Arise News Channel in conjunction with the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Abuja, was attended by three presidential candidates, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso and PRP’s Kola Abiofla, while PDP’s Atiku Abubakar was represented by his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa.

No reason was publicly offered for Mr Tinubu’s snob of the opportunity to share his plans with Nigerians via a live broadcast. However, the former Lagos governor was spotted at the birthday party of his associate, retired colonel Sani Bello, some 6.4 km (an eight-minute drive) from the venue.

Mr Tinubu’s absence from the town hall meeting is the latest in his series of purposeful boycotts of public gatherings aimed at engaging directly with candidates for public office.

The absence of the former Lagos governor has sparked widespread public outrage.

His prior performances had sparked concerns about his health and ability to manage the country in 2023 and beyond. Given the low ratings that Mr Tinubu’s public relations stunts have earned him, his aides have kept him out of public scrutiny.