Festus Keyamo was irritated by the hosts of Arise TV on Monday after Bola Tinubu’s health status was brought up by the spokesperson for the APC presidential campaign council.
When asked to comment on Tinubu’s health, Keyamo dismissed the inquiry, claiming that the opposition and some media outlets were using it as a means of smearing his candidate.
Keyamo added that there was no proof to the contrary that Tinubu has health issues and such a question shouldn’t have been asked. She was not pleased with the way the questions were asked.
The minister said: “No matter how much they report it, the opposition and a section of the press, no matter how much they parrot it, the fact remains that there is no evidence to the contrary that my candidate has health issues. The strategy has been to repeat a lie a thousand times until that lie sticks out as the truth. As I speak to you, in the last few weeks, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been more active on the campaign trail than any other candidate. Now this program opens and the first thing you asked me is about health, it is just the strategy of the opposition.”
When told that there are clips of Tinubu’s gaffes on the internet, Keyamo said the errors were not limited to only the APC candidate.
He said Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also had their share of gaffes while speaking to Nigeria and therefore Tinubu’s gaffes should not be considered a big deal.
His words;
“I have not seen anything happened that has not happened to other candidates. Slips of tongues here and there. It has happened to Atiku, it has happened to Obi and his running mate, it has happened to the spokespersons. The PDP spokespersons and the candidate have asked Nigerians to vote for APC even far more than the APC people.
However, Keyamo got angrier when an Arise TV reporter alleged that Tinubu was rushed off stage in Minna.
Responding to the comments, Keyamo accused Arise TV of committing tyranny of the microphone.
He said: “You just sit behind the microphone and make profound statements. For example, you said my candidate was rushed off the stage in Minna, that is not true. How can you stay there and make such a statement and it is not true. Show the clips to Nigerians. You are a television station, show the clip, there was nothing like that. After the event in Minna, he went to commission different project. I demand an apology for that.”