By Izunna Okafor, Awka
George Galloway, a member of the British Parliament between 1987 and 2015 has explained that his contempt against President Bola Tinubu has nothing to do with his tribe or religion, but because of whom he is and the circumstances surrounding his emergence as Nigeria’s President.
Recall that Galloway, who is the Host of the Mother of All Talks Shows (popularly known as MOATS) had during the episode 263 of his podcast aired in August 2023, described Tinubu as bagman for mafia and drug dealers, adding that he (Tinubu) whose victory in the February 25 election is being challenged in court lacks the moral standing to speak out against the ongoing coup in the Republic of Niger.
However, during the next (recent) edition of the Show, a caller, Timi who is believed to be from the Yoruba tribe, called for caution on how the issues regarding the 2023 election are discussed on air, even though there were some discrepancies in the election.
Timi opined that criticisms and opposition against President Tinubu had led to a spark of a lot of violence against his people of the Yoruba ethnic group, warning that if care is not taken in the way independent journalists speak against Tinubu’s victory and government, something similar to Biafran War could happen in the country.
“…With regards to Nigeria, we need to be quite careful about it. Indeed, there were some discrepancies in the last election, but it is not enough to say who won and who did not win.
“I just want to say that opposition against the current President has led to a lot of spark of violence against his ethnic people, the Yoruba people.
“And this is where we need to be very careful as to how people frame the problem they have with the President. At the moment, if care is not taken with the way the independent journalists, so to say, are framing these things up, it might lead to another brutal ethnic clash,” Timi warned.
However, responding, Galloway dismissed Timi’s speculations, stressing that his criticisms against Tinubu was not because he is a Yoruba man or a Muslim.
“I have absolutely no idea that Tinubu was from the Yoruba people. My contempt for him has zero to do with the fact that he is a Muslim, and zero to do with that fact that he came from the Yoruba people. In fact, these two things are the only two good things about him.
“I’m against him because he’s a crook; I’m against him because he’s a thief; I’m against him because he’s a bad man…
“I’m against Tinubu because he forged his election papers; I’m against him because INEC forged his victory in the election. Am I supposed to turn a blind eyes to all these things because he’s a Yoruba or because he’s a Muslim or because this may lead to Ill feeling to his people?” he rhetorically questioned.
