•Insists former Lagos governor had a suite in Hilton as senator
Emmanuel Addeh
Queried on the source of the wealth of former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu, his campaign organisation yesterday maintained that he made money from the importation of rice and chemicals into the country.
Director of Media and Communications, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, who appeared on Arise News Night, insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate did not make his alleged humongous riches from government.
He also defended the controversy surrounding the politician’s educational qualifications, stressing that Tinubu attended the Chicago State University, which is distinct from University of Chicago and graduated with honours.
He insisted that no court has convicted Tinubu of corruption, even after he appeared before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), adding that he was discharged for lack of evidence.
“There’s no record of conviction anywhere. In the US , anybody can have issues with the police and with the authorities, but it has to go to the law court before the accusation can stick on you, ” he said.
On the age of the politician and the frailty he has exhibited in recent times, Onanuga said: “ Tinubu is not too old to run”, maintaining that what is important is what a president has “upstairs.” “Age is immaterial as far as I am concerned. What matters is your mental acuity,” he declared.
On how Tinubu will tackle the issue of corruption when even himself has always been trailed with allegations of sleaze, he insisted that the politician was already rich even before joining politics.
“As a senator , he had a suite at the Hilton hotel to himself. So, he wasn’t a poor man. I don’t know where people get all these things from.
“He didn’t enter politics as a poor man and he didn’t make his money from politics. He was a rich man before going into politics.
“For those of us who were together in the struggle for June 12, Bola Tinubu put a lot of resources into NADECO.
“He was sponsoring a lot of things they were doing with his resources. He had investments in America in real estate. He had several petrol stations. So, he was making money.
“Even in NADECO days, he was still involved in some kind of business and he was raising a lot of money. He was sending rice to Nigeria, sending chemicals to Nigeria to sell to raise money for a struggle. So he’s not poor.”
He argued that even if a bullion van was seen entering Tinubu’s compound as was observed in videos during the last general polls , the presidential aspirant as a private citizen has such rights to own personal cash. “He has worked for the money, it’s his own money,” he insisted.
On the chances of being screened out due to perceived differences with former APC National Chairman, Odigie Oyegun, who heads the committee, he stated that both of them remain friends.
He pointed out that all the issues raised in a petition by a certain group against Tinubu were all old issues and should be discarded.
“They (these issues) have been investigated and thrown into the waste bin. It’s a recurring feature,” he noted , adding that Tinubu’s certificates were lost after his house was razed.
