Barely two months after the Tinubu Campaign Organisation distanced itself from a viral document circulating on social media, the same material touted as the ‘manifesto’ of the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate has started trending again on the Internet.
A worried TCO Director of Media and Communication, Bayo Onanuga, had disclosed that what was being peddled online was a mere draft of suggestions on probable programmes Tinubu could implement if elected in February 2023.
Titled ‘My Vision for Nigeria’, the ‘fake’ 28-page manifesto prepared by former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Olufemi Pedro and Legal Director of Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Babatunde Ogala, talked about improving security and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
It also highlights how Tinubu will transform Nigeria into an enviable country and one where there will be justice, peace and prosperity for all, with “a robust economy.”
Speaking with our correspondent on Tuesday, Onanuga confirmed that the manifesto being shared mostly via WhatsApp and Facebook was the same unofficial campaign manifesto of the APC presidential candidate.
“We have said it for the umpteenth time that it is not our manifesto. It is the same old viral document that people are still sharing as Tinubu’s manifesto,” he fumed.
One of the signatories to the alleged manifesto, Babatunde Ogala, also confirmed that the viral document was just a compilation of suggested ideas packaged by friends.
He said, “It is not Tinubu’s manifesto but personal input by a group of friends. How it found its way into the media is what I don’t know.
“It becomes a manifesto when it is eventually put together and doesn’t carry anybody’s name but the candidate’s imprint.”
Contact: theeditor[at]punchng.com
