Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma has described the controversy surrounding the certificate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as a non-issue.
He stated this on Tuesday to State House correspondents after paying a thank you visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
According to him, Tinubu, having contested in three different elections, doesn’t need to make fresh submissions where record-keeping by the electoral body is efficient.
He said, “Well, all the things so mentioned are entire party challenges that will be resolved. But for my presidential candidate, the issue of a certificate shouldn’t even arise. In 1999, he contested elections and became the governor of Lagos, and in 2003, he contested the election for second-term governor of Lagos.
“He ran and won as a senator in the country, where record keeping is efficient, and INEC server functional. He doesn’t need to do a fresh submission.
“However, if whatever he is supposed to submit is not handy, it is not late yet. I’m sure before that time, he will submit whatever is required of him.
The governor also dismissed speculations that the ruling APC is in danger of losing its majority status in the National Assembly over the looming defection of their lawmakers.
“Did some leave the party or are leaving the party? Until they leave… but for those few who left, of course, there are some others who left other parties and joined the APC. So one cancels the other,” he added.
On allegations against him by his political adviser that he was running a closed government, he said “You know, politics and leadership is a business that thrives on ideology. Sometimes, you hire aides, who, by our primary assessment, you think would be able to fit into the ideology and your vision for your people.
“So if the way things are going to the best of their idiosyncrasies is not consistent with the thought process, it means they are licensed to try their luck in another place.”
Asked if he has paid the N72 million owed to his former aide, he said “So this aide who accused his boss of non-inclusiveness, unfortunately, we’re not running a limited liability company, where shareholders must all vie for. So I accepted his resignation and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours and that brings the matter to a close.
“I don’t know how I will owe N72 million to an aide. You’re talking about my political adviser, I don’t know what he sold to me that I bought,” the governor concluded.
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