By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
A Presidential aspirant under the platform of
All Progressive Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu, , has reacted to reports of him saying he is ready to get dirty to fulfill his ambition of becoming Nigeria’s President in 2023.
Tinubu insisted that he never said he would fight dirty to achieve his presidential ambition, adding that the remark was misunderstood.
While speaking on Sunday when he visited Lekan Balogun, the Olubadan designate, in Ibadan, the APC National Leader had said no intimidation or blackmail can stop him, adding that is “ready to get dirty”.
However, a statement by Tinubu’s Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, said the former governor of Lagos State was quoted out of context.
Rahman said Tinubu made the “get dirty” comment in response to insults thrown at him after he made his intentions to run for the presidency public.
He explained that the APC National Leader said he has accepted the insults thrown at him for opting to run for the Presidency as one of the prices he has to pay.
The statement reads partly: “Speaking at the residence of Olubadan-Designate, the All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, referring to some of the unwarranted attacks against him used the metaphor of wrestling with the pig, saying “if you decide to wrestle with the pig, you must be ready to get dirty.” He said he had accepted to take the insults and dirt thrown at him by some people as a price to pay for venturing into politics and seeking to be President of Nigeria.
“Sadly, the wrong headline and story have been latched on by some online platforms/blogs and commentators to pour invective on Asiwaju Tinubu. These commentaries and remarks are unfortunate because they are groundless, misinformed and misdirected. Hence, this clarification has become imperative.
“It bears restating that at no time during the visit and in his speech did Asiwaju indicate that he would fight dirty for his presidential ambition. His words were carefully chosen.”
