Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, was on Tuesday embroiled in a war of words with former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili.
Atiku had on Monday while speaking at an event organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) said as the head of the economic management team while he was Vice President (1999-2007), he was instrumental in designing a private sector revival strategy and advocated for the opening of the economy for private sector investments in several sectors — ideas he said handed Nigeria “tremendous progress”.
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But Ezekwesili, a supporter of Peter Obi, presidential flag-bearer of the Labour Party, who served in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration along with Atiku, said the PDP candidate told “absurd lies”, adding that Atiku was “never the Head of the Economic Management Team”.
But quote-tweeting the erstwhile Mines and Steel Minister’s claim, Paul Ibe, the media aide to Atiku slammed the female politician for resorting to “jaded ‘aproko’ pettiness”.
Dear @obyezeks, I know it's political season and people resort to all sorts of antics in support of their preferred candidates. But some things should be considered too low. https://t.co/ZUVgG72Ksh
— Paul Ibe (@omonlakiki) January 17, 2023
Ibe wrote;
Dear @obyezeks, I know it’s political season and people resort to all sorts of antics in support of their preferred candidates. But some things should be considered too low.
It is established history that @atiku as Chairman, National Economic Council headed the nation’s Economic Management Team between 1999-2007, during which Nigeria had some of her best economic growth.
In trying – and failing – to weaken his standing in public, let us not resort to this sort of jaded ‘aproko’ pettiness.
If Atiku wasn’t head of the Economic Management Team as VP, so who was? You?
This matter is a constitutional provision and you will do well either to burry your ignorance or advertise your apparent mischief. Enjoy the rest of your day but not in a bliss of ignorance, madam.
