Tinubu’s Victory Speech: How APC's 2023 Presidential Candidate Expressed Anger in Sarcasm

• Despite securing the 2023 presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu appears not to be happy some some members
• The former governor of Lagos shortly after his win delivered an acceptance speech which does not seem to sit well with some analysts in Nigeria
• For the analysts, they believe the presidential flagbearer of the APC threw shades at most of the people and party members who he felt tried to sabotage his emergence as a 2023 president candidate

The build-up to the All Progressives Congress (APC) convention was wrapped in heated controversies with regard to the choice of the party’s candidate.

Legit.ng observes that the battle was ‘lost and won’. While Tinubu may have won the battle, many believe that his relationship with his former allies and associates may have been strained beyond fixing. This is because those he was instrumental to their successful political career contested against him.

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The APC candidate made veiled references to some of the people in his speech considered by most analysts as sarcasm. He, however, ignored others who contributed to dragging him down his towering political ladder.

Legit.ng has picked out some of the lines in his speech where obvious anger was expressed in sarcasm.

You can now lick your wounds - Tinubu to Ahmad Lawan

Tinubu in his victory acceptance speech told Senate President, Ahmad Lawan to lick his wound having lost to him (Tinubu).

According to the APC presidential candidate, he would have been upset with the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan for competing with him, but all that is history as the senator could choose to lick his own wounds.

He said:

“To you, the legislature, the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, I would have been a little upset because you competed with me but that is over now since you can easily leak your wounds. It doesn’t take away from thanking you for the past cooperation and cool-headedness to build our country.

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You have helped in steering the ship of the nation and with your colleagues in the Senate, history is written and will be kind to you.”

Reactions have continued to trail Tinubu’s sarcasm, even as some political commentators believe he is truly sad and disappointed by those who worked against his aspiration.

According to Ujah Anthony, a current affairs analyst, Tinubu was one of those who ensured Lawan emerged as the Senate President, hence his anger is justified in whichever form it comes.

Ujah said:

“His statement was clearly sarcasm. It was a comment mocking Lawan to say that despite your effort to snattch away my entitlement, I won it to your grief. You can now go on to lament.

“Tinubu is right because the majority of those who competed against him were those he supported to be who they are today. He was instrumental to Lawan’s emergence as Senate President.”

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But others are of the view that the presidency is not anyone's entitlement, and that for Tinubu to be making veiled comments against opponents, especially those in his party, shows he is not a democrat.

Lawan was, however, quick to congratulate Tinubu after he emerged as the party’s flagbearer, stating that he contested against the former Lagos governor because his experience convinced him to do so.

He wrote on Twitter:

"As Your Excellency is aware, I offered myself alongside your good self and other patriotic members of the party to fly its highly coveted flag in the 2023 presidential election.

"I did so in the belief that I have the knowledge base, ideas, experience and desire to provide leadership for our dear country at these most trying times."

They were ready to write the obituary of our party - Tinubu

In another message to politicians and the media, while particularly mentioning Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of the party, Tinubu sarcastically said, “ shame on them’’ for failing to destroy the APC which they had already prepared its obituary through machinations and other things.

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He said:

“To the chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, it appeared some weeks back that some newspapers and many people were ready to write the obituary of this party.

“We put together and pulled ourselves as a cat with nine lives. We thatched the roof, steady the pillars and became master builders. You came on and worked hard with the collaboration of others and here we are."

“Shame on those who were already building the coffin of APC. Shame on them. Our party is alive. They won’t be able to do the convention but here we are.”

Tinubu’s comments to the consternation of other aspirants

But from the faces of most of the disappointed aspirants, Tinubu may be alleging that they were working with external forces, especially the opposition to destroy the APC.

The Jagaban as he is fondly called accused the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of working to destroy the APC. He said their plan was to ensure there was no successful convention.

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He said:

“They call themselves PDP, 16 years of failures of wastefulness, we are telling them to step aside, be buried, and leave the way for us. We will repair our country.”

Ignoring Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

The commendation offered the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in his speech was attached to his performance and support for President Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu never referred to the Vice president’s insistence to contest against him.

Hear him:

“The vice president, a very good and supportive pillar, a good assistant to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, we thank you for this steady and good support to our president.”

And many believe that ignoring Osinbajo was a way of saying he was insignificant in the contest. Recall that Tinubu had earlier ignored the vice president when he was exchanging pleasantries with party men, but a late intervention from Femi Gbajabiamila changed the situation as Tinubu was later seen talking with his former commissioner.

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But a lot would have been said to clear the air of misconception that the two were are each other’s throats over who takes over from Buhari in 2023. That he didn’t clear those points showed that the battle hasn’t changed. It’s on.

While some people have blamed the Vice President for contesting against his former boss, others are of the opinion that the VP reserves the right to contest under a democratic atmosphere.

Tinubu had recently vented his anger on Osinbajo, saying that he had contributed immensely to his (Osinbajo) political growth. He further disclosed that he made Osinbajo the Vice President because he recommended him for the position.

I did not know I would win - Tinubu

Again, in what appeared like sarcasm, Tinubu said he was taking his time to make his acceptance speech because he didn’t know he was going to win.

He said:

“President Muhammadu Buhari, please forgive me for keeping you this long. I didn’t expect to win, I must be intoxicated for victory."

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But Tinubu’s victory was a landslide. He scored over a thousand votes to beat other contestants.

Mr Collins Okpe, a political scientist told Legit.ng that the comment was clear sarcasm. He said it was another way of telling the other aspirants that his victory was a landslide.

He said:

"I think that’s clear sarcasm. Someone who won overwhelmingly should at least have sensed it right from time, at least from the point those other politicians were stepping down for him. Saying that he did not know that he was winning was a powerful message to the other aspirants that despite their opposition, ‘I sailed through easily.’ “

But Tinubu said will not hold anything against his fellow contestants.

I hold no grudges against those who did not support me - Tinubu

The presidential candidate, though left many things unsaid, he promised not to hold any grudges against those who did not support his ambition.

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He said such people have nothing to fear as he holds no grudges against them.

According to the Jagaban:

“The competition is now over. Those who did not support me, you have nothing to fear. I hold no grudges. Let us join hands to beat the PDP and beat back their retrogressive understanding of Nigeria.

"They had 16 years, they depleted our resources and left us with hunger. Let us dig their graves by defeating them in the next election because they are the agents of poverty, terror, violence, and lying”.

The party, however, desires internal cohesion to sail through in 2023. It then means that all aggrieved members should be called to a roundtable in order to ensure victory for the party ahead of other contending parties.

Just in: Tinubu mourns Rivers APC delegate who died in road accident while returning from primary

Tinubu had commiserated with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers state over the death of a delegate.

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The delegate was said to have died from a road crash accident while returning to Rivers from the party's national convention in Abuja with other colleagues.

According to Tinubu, the death of the grassroots leader of the APC in such tragic circumstances is saddening.

2023 presidency: You are no match for Atiku, PDP mocks Tinubu hours after he won APC's presidential ticket

The PDP had said that the presidential candidate for the ruling party is no match for Atiku Abubakar.

The PDP accused Tinubu, APC's 2023 presidential flagbearer of being interested in looting funds belonging to the Nigerian people.

According to the PDP, Nigeria's politics is far more complex and beyond that of Lagos state where Tinubu operates with so much pride.

Source: Legit.ng