PDP pulls tweet after Oby Ezekwesili’s protest

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has pulled down a tweet on its handle, following protest by a former minister of education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili.

The PDP had sought to ride on the credibility and popularity of the ‘Bring-Back-Our-Girls’ founder, apparently to bolster the political image of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, when it credited Abubakar with assembling an economic team that included Ezekwesili, while he was vice president of Nigeria.

“As Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar assembled and presided over the most competent economic team in Nigeria’s history,” a digital flier in the tweet published on Saturday claimed. The flier showed the image of Abubakar surrounded by pictures of Ezekwesili, Nasir El- Rufai, Chukwuma Soludo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Subsequently, PDP rode on the content of the flier and tweeted Saturday: “2023: The @OfficialPDPNig Presidential Candidate, @atiku is committed to working assiduously to achieve a united, Secure and Economically Viable Nigeria, that will work for all citizens irrespective of their social status, religious, ethnic or political biases. #Atiku4SURE.”

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But Ezekwesili, however, would not have PDP and its candidate profiteer from her hard-earned reputation.

Consequently, she fired back on a tweet on Tuesday: “It might be an innocent mistake, but this statement is false and therefore extremely misleading, @OfficialPDPNig. He did not.

“It is also wrong that you have used my picture in your campaign flier without my consent.

“Please do kindly remove this immediately.

“Many Thanks!”

PDP wasted no time in deleting the ‘offensive’ tweet and Ezekwesili promptly responded: “I am pleased that @OfficialPDPNig has done the right thing and deleted that erroneous tweet.

“Facts are sacred and must always be upheld.”