Only unserious people dwell on Tinubu's gaffes - APC campaign director

The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, has disagreed with those who linked random gaffes committed by the party's candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to fatigue and signs of senility.

This comes amidst criticisms, especially on social media, where several gaffes of Tinubu at campaign rallies have been turned into memes with notions that old-age has caught up with him.

In an interview with The Punch, Onanuga argued that what has been mostly described as gaffes were minor slips which the candidate usually correct every time they occur.

He expressed his displeasure over the penchant of some mischief makers to "pick a minor issue and amplify it as if it is bigger than it is."

Onanuga questioned why the critics have chosen to ignore other things Tinubu has spoken about and rather concentrated on those minor gaffes, adding that "it only shows the lack of seriousness of such people."

He gave examples of several young politicians who have also dropped some gaffes in this election cycle and wondered why people have not linked that to old age or fatigue.

Onanuga's word: "What people call a gaffe here is incorrect. What’s the big deal in having someone who wanted to call APC or PDP but ended up calling something else? These are minor slips and Tinubu even corrected himself on each occasion. Even younger politicians like the PDP campaign spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, did that much.

"There was a video of him where he was talking about the APC when he wanted to say the PDP. Dino Melaye also did the same when he urged the people of Borno to vote for the APC. And he didn’t even say it once. He repeated it several times. I have a problem when people pick a minor issue and amplify it as if it is bigger than it is. It only shows the lack of seriousness of such people. I am not left in these slips.

"I commit them almost every day. The man spoke about other things as well. He talked about how the PDP looted the treasury and had nothing to show after 16 years of governance. But they are more concerned about his slips. It shows Nigerians that these people are more interested in chasing shadows than substance."