Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, cautioned the supporters of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to stop spreading lies about his recent meeting with their flagbearer.
On Wednesday, Tinubu and some APC chieftains had visited Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
During the meeting with Obasanjo, Tinubu entourage included two former governors of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former interim national chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and many other APC chieftains.
But neither Obasanjo nor Tinubu spoke with journalists at the end of the three-hour meeting.
However, a day after the meeting, Gbajabiamila revealed some of what he said transpired during the meeting between Obasanjo and Tinubu.
The Speaker said Obasanjo made encouraging statements about Tinubu’s aspiration and even prayed for the APC presidential candidate.
He said, “When we were going to Obasanjo’s house, we were eight, including Asiwaju Tinubu and me; we didn’t want many people to know about the meeting. So, we were to meet Obasanjo and five others from his side.
“But when we eventually got there, we met something pleasantly shocking: a mammoth crowd of our supporters were already at the former president’s house waiting for us.
“So, Obasanjo told Asiwaju Tinubu to pick three people from his side and that he would pick three from his side to meet behind close doors. So, I, Chief Osoba and Chief Akande and Asiwaju went from our side. My people, what I heard there, what Obasanjo said, the victory of Asiwaju is assured.
“Obasanjo spoke at length and we were all happy. He embraced our candidate like a brother, gave him a pat on the back, and prayed for him copiously.”
But Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday, quoted the former president in a statement as saying the utterances of those claiming to be supporters of Tinubu are “unhelpful.”
According to Obasanjo, discussions during Tinubu’s visit was “more brotherly than political”, and at the request of Bola Tinubu, Chief Obasanjo agreed to no statement from either side.”
The former president added, “Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statement on the discussion and those crediting to my statement I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good.”