Festus Keyamo (SAN), the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Chief Spokesman, has defended Bola Tinubu’s remarks from his rally for the party’s presidential nomination in Akwa Ibom State.
Tinubu referred to Udom Emmanuel, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, as a boy during a campaign rally on Monday in Uyo.
Tinubu had said: “Akwa Ibom, you will not suffer again. That boy [Emmanuel Udom] that brought Atiku here, that calls himself governor, tell him enough is enough. He lived in my backyard in Lagos. If not that we are one, I’d have driven him home.”
See photos from APC, Tinubu’s rally in Akwa Ibom
However, Tinubu’s remarks sparked responses, with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters criticizing the APC nominee for insulting Governor Emmanuel.
Keyamo responded to the news on Tuesday by tweeting that Tinubu’s remark was not an error and was not meant to be offensive to the governor of Akwa Ibom.
According to African culture, the elder people refer to the younger people as “boys” or “girls,” and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment noted that considering their ages, Tinubu refers to Udom as a “boy.”
He wrote: “In African tradition, we refer to our younger ones as ‘boys’ or ‘girls’. It’s not a gaffe and no insult intended. Given their ages, Gov. Udom is a ‘boy’ to @officialABAT. It is surprising you made headlines out of this. We expect more from your source. Thanks.“
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