A National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has described Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister, as a peddler of falsehood hired for a smear campaign against the party, its leader, and presidential candidates.

“Fani-Kayode is not as smart as he thinks. If you read between the lines of his hysteria you see another extreme sentiment: that of surging desperation,” Mr. Tinubu said in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Sunday Dare.

“His statement indicates that even he now realizes that his pay master has lost to Buhari/Osinbajo. The game is over. The whistle has blown. What the fantasy man seeks to do is change the game. He seeks to run against Tinubu in hopes the outcome will be better. Fani now grasps at straw in the night wind.”

Last Friday, Mr. Fani-Kayode, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, alleged that Yemi Osinbajo, the APC vice presidential candidate, had sworn an oath to vacate his seat should the party win the forthcoming election.

According to Mr. Fani-Kayode, Mr. Tinubu nominated the vice presidential candidate as part of “plans to come to power through the back door”.

“Tinubu, according to our information, has compelled Osinbajo to swear to an oath that after six months in office, he would resign as the vice president, in the unlikely event that their party wins,” said Mr. Fani-Kayode.

“The wicked plot, as laid out by them, is to force Osinbajo to resign for Tinubu to be nominated by Buhari as his replacement.”

Mr. Tinubu said that the former minister “is on a futile journey to shield the populace from seeing the failures of his paymasters”.

“His statement taken in context indicates that his paymasters will lose the election. They are now worried about what will happen thereafter,” he said.

“The majority of Nigerians have concluded that they have done enough damage to our politics, economy and security; and cannot be tolerated any longer. Rather, they should be voted out by the people. Their journey of lies and deception is at its terminal point.

“It lied to Nigerians and the international community that elections had to be shifted first because of the PVC issue and later it became a security ambush to change the date thus aborting Nigeria’s date with destiny at the polls.

“That FFK(Femi Fani-Kayode) is the best a ruling party can do as a spokesman speaks volumes about the PDP. They are bereft of talent and character. They are filled with lies and chicanery. FFK is simply the worst and most outspoken of a bad lot.”

Mr. Tinubu, however, said that he welcomed Mr. Fani-Kayode’s interventions because they are of such low quality and base character and his utterances frighten people.

“Instead of scaring the people away from the APC, his work scares people that someone so unfit is so close to the seat of power, someone so unhinged is given free rein to spit bile and call that public discourse. One must wonder who is unbalanced, the misfit or he who hires him. Keep at it FFK. Continue,” Mr. Tinubu said.

“Most Nigerians are fed up with this government and desire change. They await eagerly that opportunity at the polls. They cannot tolerate four more years of a Fani Kayode, of his paymasters and his utterances. That is your agony Fani Kayode and of course that of the PDP and its gang of destroyers. You will not be able to persuade majority of Nigerians who are prepared to use their vote for a positive change. And if only to shield the populace from your peculiar brand of abuse of power both you and your boss must go.”

The APC leader said that the ruling party’s smear campaign failed to make a headway against the APC’s presidential and vice presidential candidates, and is now resorting to run against him.

“This plot will not work. Tinubu is not scheming to become president through the back door. He, just like any qualified Nigerian has the right to walk in through the front door if he so desires. But he is not on the ticket,” he said.

“For the job he is hired to do, it is expected that a Fani Kayode will be blinded to the positive nature of the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket. If he has failed to read and do some research on the character of an Osinbajo, let me help him.

“Yemi Osinbajo is fiercely independent. A brilliant mind of great character and a consummate reformer and legal crusader. You will not dare speak of him in this manner. The APC ticket is of people of great resolve. But because among your own crowd you have people who will willingly destroy not only our institutions and country you think so of others.

“APC is a party with people of impeccable character. Courageous and patriotic leaders who are out to rescue our nation. And you, Fani Kayode are on record to have said so in several interviews.”

Mr. Tinubu said that he would not dignify Mr. Fani-Kayode’s “outrageous lies” with any reply, adding that Nigerians know him as a peddler of falsehood.

“Femi Fani Kayode cannot just leave Tinubu alone because they see him as their political nemesis. But Tinubu will not be their dart board . If they want to see the culprit behind their flagging misfortune, they do not need to glare at Tinubu. They should go home and peer into the nearest mirror. Therein their trouble lies.

“Now that FFK has revealed why his party, the PDP has consistently persecuted Bola Tinubu through phony Code of Conduct Tribunal, massive unjustified attacks against his character and integrity, intimidation and harassment.

“They all have failed. In what is a classic case of abuse of power, the government you now work for have accused Tinubu in the past of baseless and unproven allegations whereas in your party, including yourself, there are wolves feasting on the commonwealth of the people.

“For a leadership that cannot define corruption and theft, we are left with a gang of plunderers. You have openly and secretly stolen and plundered the wealth of the nation without the slightest concern about morality and the suffering masses.”