A former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro, has said the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, is physically and mentally fit to lead Nigerians.
Pedro, who is a member of the fundraising directorate of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), on Monday, responded to allegations calling Tinubu’s health into question ahead of next week’s poll.
During a live appearance on Channels Television’s special election programme, The 2023 Verdict, he said, “Asiwaju is very fit, he is fitter than me. He is energetic and he is everywhere.
“I was with him two days ago in Abuja with other leaders. I was pleasantly impressed by his energy, his vigour; he has not been hiding. We have seen him speak before in Nigerian economic summits, town hall meetings in Kano, Rivers and Lagos.”
The PCC member, who was the second-term deputy to former Lagos governor Tinubu between 2003 and 2007, dismissed claims questioning the candidate’s cognitive and physical ability to govern.
“Asiwaju’s cognitive skill is perfect; most of the speeches we hear or read are doctored. That is the narrative that has been presented by the other opposition to make him seem unfit.”
According to him, Nigerians and his supporters are aware that his cognitive ability is good. “You have nothing to worry about,” he added.
“He might have made few slips here and there; everybody does that. The other time [Iyorchia] Ayu on national TV said PDP should be rejected. He didn’t mean PDP, of course, but it was a slip.
“When you’re on a campaign trail, the pressure, the noise, the gravitas, the general rally atmosphere, you can easily have a slip of tongue. That is not unsual and it’s not unheard of all over the world.”