A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has strongly criticized activist and politician Omoyele Sowore for describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a criminal.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) page, Igbokwe expressed shock and disappointment at the comment, urging Sowore to retract the statement and tender an apology to both the president and Nigerians.
“I was stunned into disbelief and in total shock when he called a sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, PBAT, a criminal. I advised him to withdraw the shameful scurrilous drivels and apologize to the President. Up till now he has not found the need to apologize,” Igbokwe wrote.
He emphasized that Tinubu is not Sowore’s equal, highlighting his achievements as an international chartered accountant, senator, two-term governor of Lagos State, and now president of Africa’s most populous nation.
“PBAT is not his mate. Nobody living or dead in Nigeria has touched lives across Nigeria the way PBAT has done in the past 30 years. Go and verify,” he added.
Igbokwe contrasted Tinubu’s record with Sowore’s, claiming that apart from his time as president of the University of Lagos Students’ Union, Sowore has made little progress beyond protests, court cases, and confrontations with authorities.
According to him, labeling Tinubu a criminal also disrespects the millions of Nigerians who voted him into office. “When you call a President we all elected a criminal it is at once telling us that 200 million are criminals. This is unacceptable,” he stressed.
Igbokwe concluded by urging Sowore to “rethink and stop this walk on the streets that has become irrelevant,” warning that continued attacks on the president risk being seen as arrogance and misplaced activism.
