Controversy trails Tinubu, Obasanjo meeting, ex-president denies endorsing APC candidate

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described a report credited to him as endorsing the candidacy of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as fake news.

Tinubu had visited the former President at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, on Wednesday.

He was accompanied on the visit by former National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, among others.

The outcome of the meeting which lasted for about two hours was not disclosed to journalists as the parties refused to speak to journalists.

However, a report credited to Gbajabiamila said Obasanjo made encouraging statements about Tinubu’s aspiration and even prayed for the APC presidential candidate.

READ: Peter Obi, Baba-Ahmed visit Obasanjo

But the former President swiftly denied ever speaking in favour of Tinubu’s aspiration, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday.

Obasanjo said the statements coming from those claiming to be supporters of Bola Tinubu are unhelpful.

The former President said the discussion during the visit was “more brotherly than political”, and at the request of Tinubu, Obasanjo agreed to no statement from either side.

“Those claiming to be insiders at the meeting issuing statement on the discussion and those crediting to me statement I had not made are enemies of the visitor and are not doing the visit any good,” Obasanjo said.