By Dennis Agbo
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu has clarified his statement in an Enugu presidential rally on Wednesday, where he warned the southeast to be wary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continued service to the region with “a slice of soaked bread”.
Tinubu’s spokesman in the region, Dr. Josef Onoh, who made the clarification on Sunday recalled George Santayan’s 1905 ‘The Life of Reason’, where he said that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
Onoh said that what Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu did in Enugu during the APC presidential rally was a clear warning to the southeast about the dangers ahead if they vote with emotions rather than interest in the pending February 25, presidential election.
According to Onoh: “The political downfall of the southeast since 1999 has always been casting their votes for the PDP presidential candidates right up to the last election, hence he warned them that such mistake again will leave them another serve of a slice of soaked bread.
“In reality, despite all the support the southeast has blindly given to the PDP presidential candidates over the years, the PDP has continuously served the region with only a slice of soaked bread.
“South East geo-political zone of Nigeria is probably one of the most neglected part of our country, with scores of politicians and money bags seeking to be godfathers and godmothers.
“The ruins and scares strangulating our once vibrant zone are self-inflicted, though by a greedy self-serving few.
“The South East’s affinity with the Peoples Democratic Party, [PDP] remains terribly unjustifiable, flawed, and disastrous, particularly with support for their presidential candidates.
“The South East continues to ‘vote’ for PDP presidential candidates that continuously and systematically impoverish it.
“The five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo are all guilty of this ‘crime’.
“We must commend governors Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, Engr. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state and Charles Soludo of Anambra state.
“These three governors have come to realise that political affinities are borne out of a mutual ‘you rub my back and I’d rub yours’ scenario; I also commend Chimaroke Nnamani and our latest partner in progress, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state.
“We await Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state to take a stand let’s all pursue a full loaf of bread for the southeast together, while we ignore the lip service Asiwaju supporters in the southeast who only are waiting to share campaign funds then turn around and vote for Labour Party and PDP, thinking they are fooling the world.
“Unfortunately, this is not what we see in the mindsets of the people in the southeast.
“Anyone who genuinely wishes to support Asiwaju in the southeast must prove themselves enough of the deceit. To thine ownself be true.”
He accused former President Obasanjo of inventing the dodgy practice which saw the emergence of a handful of PDP stalwarts that run the South East like a fiefdom.
“Together let’s liberate ourselves from continuously eating a slice of soaked bread we have been continuously served.
“Hence Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s warning during the Enugu rally is a wakeup call for use to support him and be assured southeast will be served a full loaf of bread fresh from the oven of mutual benefit,” Onoh advised.
