Anti-Tinubu Tweets: I Was Frustrated, I’m Sorry – Ministerial Nominee

Ministerial nominee, Olatunbosun Tijani, has apologised to Nigerians and the senate for some of his previous social media posts in 2019, criticising the then All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government and its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He alluded frustration over the state of the nation to the views he expressed at the time.

Tijani is among President Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, and he appeared before the senate for screening yesterday.

During the screening exercise at the National Assembly, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, raised the issue about his past criticisms and demanded an explanation from Tijani.

In a bid to apologise, the ministerial nominee said: “As a Yoruba boy born and brought up in Abeokuta, we were taught not to disrespect our elders, I said what I said out of frustration, please accept my sincere apology.

“That wasn’t the training that was given to us. My father won’t be proud of me about all these allegations. But one thing he will be proud of is the passion that led me to those mistakes, has also led me to where I am now.

“So everybody in this hall, including everyone anywhere in Nigeria that have been offended by everything I said, I ask that you please accept my apology. I said  it out of frustration, please accept my sincere apology.”

In an affirmative response, the senate president acknowledged that everyone, including public figures, make mistakes. He expressed appreciation for Tijani’s intellect and commended President Bola Tinubu’s forgiving nature despite Tijani’s previous criticism of him.

“On behalf of the senate, I want to accept your apology and encourage you to continue creating opportunities for your people to grow. Let them not have the kind of anger that led you to make all these mistakes. Your apologies are accepted, and congratulations on your nomination,” Akpabio told the nominee.

He thereafter asked Tijani to step forward to take a ‘bow’ and leave the senate chamber, signifying the end of his screening exercise.

LEADERSHIP earlier reported how an old tweet from the Nigerian-British entrepreneur and CEO of CcHub, Olatunbosun Tijani, lambasting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2019 over power grabbing narrative, resurfaced on social media after his nomination as a minister, causing a stir.

The tweet, which criticised Tinubu at the time, had raised controversy, given that Tijani is one of the ministerial nominees in the second batch forwarded to the senate by President Tinubu.

The controversial tweet dated July 23, 2019, was a response to several individuals and it read, “It is becoming the norm.

Tinubu fed them that rubbish narrative with his ‘serving power a la carte’ wisdom. Go invest your time and money into your business if you want to propagate such a rubbish narrative.”