Sokoto-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Bello Yabo has claimed that President Bola Tinubu admitted to clerics and traditional rulers that he used his personal funds to secure the presidency.
In a recent video of one of his sermons, Yabo recounted Tinubu’s disclosure during a meeting at the villa last week.
He said, “Tinubu has really impressed me; he invited all the traditional rulers from the North, West, and East and told them bluntly that ‘I bought this seat I’m on with money,’” Yabo stated.
He praised Tinubu for his candor, remarking, “Tinubu has never impressed me like now for coming out to tell the naked truth. Whoever pays the piper dictates the tune; isn’t Tinubu telling the truth?”
Yabo criticized those who sold their votes during the 2023 presidential elections, highlighting the fleeting nature of the rewards they received.
“You have eaten the spaghetti and macaroni you have been given to vote, and now it is finished, it’s all over, so what next?” he asked, referencing Tinubu’s substantial campaign spending from the primaries to the presidential election.
Reflecting on the future, Yabo urged, “It’s all over now; let us pray and wait for the next election in 2027. If you like, collect his money again and vote for him, and I assure you, you’ll remain in pain, that’s all.”
Tinubu’s remarks at the meeting last week emphasized his self-funding campaign, stating, “I have no cabal. I have no sponsors. The money I spent on the elections was my personal fortune. At some point, the odds were against me; banks were locked. But Allah, the Almighty God, said I will be the president.
