Mark Jacob, a former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu over the weekend, describing him as unfit to lead the country.
Jacob, who spoke on Arise Television, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, said that given the country’s complex nature and the deterioration in all sectors, Nigeria requires a hands-on person to steer its affairs.
Jacob questioned Tinubu’s official age, claiming that official records in the public domain show the politician is only seven to eight years older than his (Tinubu’s) first daughter.
He claimed that putting Tinubu ahead of the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was a mistake, claiming that he only gained traction in the north during the APC primaries.
Tinubu, according to the ex-legal adviser, will not have a chance in the north in the general elections, stressing that the perception that he already has President Muhammadu Buhari’s votes in the north is a myth.
“He’ll put forth some minor efforts.” In fact, if Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had been elected, it is very likely that some young, politically active people in the north would have backed him. But what exactly does Tinubu have that can be compared to Atiku?
“The public awareness campaigns have already begun. Simply go to social media. If you understand Hausa, what they’re saying now is that we’re going from father to grandfather, and the APC is giving us that. In today’s Nigeria, no one will believe that.
“We’ve had enough suffering at the hands of a baba in the last seven years.” As Nigerians, we cannot, in all honesty, hand over the country to a grandfather who appears frail and has difficulty managing his own body.
“This country is far too complicated to be left in the hands of someone who struggles to manage his health, his life, or his person.” If you run a large company with the goal of making a profit, you will be cautious about who you entrust with the company’s management.
“Nigeria is a serious business concern that cannot be entrusted to people who are experiencing difficulties,” he said.
When reminded that Atiku is at least six years older than Tinubu, Jacob stated that if the two were put on the same race track, Atiku would outrun the former Lagos governor because he is fitter in every way.
“If you put him (Atiku) on the race track, does he (Tinubu) look older?” His current age is what he has chosen to display to you, and some of us are aware that, according to publicly available information, he is seven years older than his daughter.
“When did he tie the knot?” What year did he have his daughter? He is 69 and she is 61 years old. How can we treat Nigeria in this manner? People must take this country seriously, and they must be serious about who will be in charge of it in the coming years. “We can’t make fun of it, and we can’t play around with it,” he added.
Noting that Nigeria is at a crossroads, the lawyer explained that if Nigerians are serious, they must look beyond the mundane and consider the serious issues at hand, which include the candidates’ health.
“How can we hand over our country to people who can’t even be forthright about simple issues like age when it’s clear that it’s not what you’re swearing you are in your declaration of age?” “It’s not right or fair to the country that we just make jokes about these things,” he declared.
Away from Tinubu, Jacob stated that Atiku must consult widely on the issue of his running mate this time, noting that in 2019, Atiku’s choice of Peter Obi was not well received by most governors, a factor that influenced the election’s outcome.
He stated that the candidate must be chosen after consultations with PDP governors, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), and members of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
He expressed his delight that Atiku remains a good politician who knows what is right, emphasising that the choice of Atiku’s running mate will be purely political.
He maintained that Obi may not go far because his support is said to come from a single zone, but admitted that Obi’s votes may dilute the PDP’s.
Many people who had hoped for a president of eastern Nigerian descent are now disappointed, according to Jacob, because even the delegates from the south-east did not vote for their own candidate during the special convention.
Nobody will risk their neck for a cause, he claims, because even Igbo people did not vote for their people during the meeting.
He claimed that out of the 90 votes cast in the South-east, Anyim received about 20, and that out of the 200 in the PDP, the Igbo candidates received only a few votes, with many voting for Atiku.
