Femi Adesina Finally Discloses Identity of “Wailing Wailers”

Femi Adesina Finally Discloses Identity of “Wailing Wailers”

  • Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has explained why he rechristened some Nigerians "wailing wailers''
  • Adesina said the sobriquet fitted the critics because they were trying to distract the government as much as possible
  • The former government official disclosed that he was referring to the PDP and particularly the party's former chieftain, Olisa Metuh

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 6-year-experience covering politics in Nigeria

FCT, Abuja - Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari's former media, Femi Adesina, has said his “wailing wailers” epithet was targeted at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and "particularly Olisa Metuh".

Metuh was the former national publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) from 2012 to 2016.

Femi Adesina/Femi Adesina wailing wailers
The term 'wailing wailers' was coined by Adesina. Photo credit: Femi Adesina
Source: Facebook

Femi Adesina explains 'wailing wailers' term

The Anambra-born politician (Metuh) resigned from the PDP and quit partisan politics in 2022.

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Adesina who served as the spokesperson to Buhari between 2015 and 2023 had famously christened opposition figures “wailing wailers”. Now, he has expounded on the meaning of the tag.

He said while speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today on Tuesday evening, January 16:

"The epithet fitted them because they were wailing. They thought that the way to get the government to do their bidding was to shout at the rooftop, and to try to distract the government as much as possible."

Adesina continued:

"Let me tell you the history of the 'wailing wailers'. The PDP's spokesman at that time was a man named Olisa Metuh. Anything the government did, a government that was new, quickly, he would issue a statement.
"I did a tweet. I said these people don't know that they are out of power. And they would be out of power for a while to come. And I ended that tweet with 'wailing wailers'. I was referring to the PDP and particularly the spokesman, Olisa Metuh."

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Buhari "remains committed" to APC

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that Adesina's former boss, Buhari, said he remains committed to "our great party", the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buhari also pledged his allegiance to "the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu", the 16th and incumbent president of Nigeria.

Why Buhari can no longer 'escape', Tinubu

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu said Buhari can no longer escape to the Niger Republic as he had promised due to the border closure.

Buhari had said he would leave for neighbouring Niger Republic after handing over as President if he is not able to get enough rest in Daura, his home town in Katsina state. However, speaking, during the launch of the books, Tinubu jokingly said his predecessor would not be able to achieve that because of the border closure.

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Tinubu bends for Buhari

Meanwhile, President Tinubu and Buhari met in Abuja for the first time since May 29, 2023. They met at Adesina's book launch.

A former aide to Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, shared a 20-second clip on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle of Buhari bidding Tinubu goodbye.

In the video, President Tinubu could be seen bending for Buhari while shaking his hands.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.