The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu says he would not be attending the 4th December Arise News Presidential Town Hall meeting being hosted by Arise Television.
Speaking through the Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the campaign council said it is surprised that the TV station listed Asiwaju Tinubu as a participant when there was no prior consultation with him and his aides and no consent of the candidate obtained for the advertisement.
While stating that it deems the action as professionally wrong and reckless, the Council insists that no media organisation should arrogate to itself the right to railroad any candidate to fit into its own agenda.
“As we said in an earlier statement, the busy and hectic campaign schedules of Asiwaju Tinubu will not permit him to honour all invitations from different radio and TV stations for debate and or Town Hall meetings hence your decision for him not to start with one media organisation and later ignore the others.
“In the absence of a unified and mutually acceptable all parties and all candidates platform, our candidate has been speaking directly to Nigerians, since President Muhammadu Buhari launched Tinubu’s Action Plan for a Better Nigeria
“To date, over seven town hall meetings with strategic sectors have been held across the geopolitical zones, where the candidate and his running mate have spoken about their programmes.
“These direct engagements will continue before the election on 25 February 2023.
“We, therefore, urge Arise News to stop using our candidate’s name or portrait in its advertisement, forthwith.”