Daniel Bwala, a lawyer and the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, has claimed that Festus Keyamo called Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a rat.
Keyamo, who is also a lawyer and the chief spokesperson of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council was earlier featured on Channels Television to speak on the controversies bordering on the naira redesign and the 2023 general elections.
Bwala, when asked to respond to the issues raised by Keyamo, said “I am glad tonight, by himself, with his mouth, he said that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is like a rat. But you don’t catch a rat by burning the bush.
“I am glad he said it. You know what a rat is? A rat is something that steals in peoples’ houses. That Asiwaju is a rat, but don’t in a bid to catch the rat burn the bush.”
Claim I: Festus Keyamo said Bola Tinubu is a rat
Verification
The CDD Election War Room checked to verify if Keyamo actually called Tinubu a rat as Bwala claimed.
We found that Bwala’s claim is misleading as he took Keyamo’s metaphor literally.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, when asked to speak to possible implications of the naira redesign controversies on his principal’s presidential bid, said the opposition party’s plan was to turn the people against the ruling APC.
To further express himself, Keyamo said, “Now, they are the ones begging Nigerians not to riot. They are the ones begging Nigerians to support government policy, opposition. Why? Because in their perception, I do not agree, they believe that that (naira redesign policy) is against Asiwaju.
“In that regard, they will now prefer Nigerians to die, go naked in the banks, banks to be burnt down, (and) for people to die on the queue. They prefer that because they want to harm one man. In other words, in a process of pursuing one rat, they prefer the house to be burnt down entirely.”
Verdict: Keyamo was employing the use of a metaphor in describing the naira redesign crisis, not literally calling Tinubu a rat as Bwala suggests.
Claim II: The states where there are crises over the naira swap policy are APC-led states
Daniel Bwala while alleging that the ruling APC was planning to scuttle the 2023 general elections, claimed that the crises over the naira redesign policy were experienced only in APC-led states.
“We are quiet because we know what they are planning. They are taking one by one step so they can scuttle this election. You know they are spinning when they say the other people don’t want the election to be conducted.
“Check the states that they are inflaming these crises, they are APC-led states, from the state people who believe they can collect power by hook or crook,” Bwala said.
Verification
Findings by the CDD Election War Room show that the claim by Daniel Bwala is false as the states where crises over the naira redesign policy were reported are not only APC-led states.
Following the scarcity of banknotes as a result of the naira redesign policy, protests ensued in some states across Nigeria as reported by credible media organizations.
Channels Television reported how demonstrations broke out in Oyo, Delta, and Edo states over the naira redesign policy. Violence was reported in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, and Udu, near Warri, the commercial hub of Delta state.
The report also included the violent demonstration observed in Benin, the Edo state capital.
The violent protest experienced in parts of the country, which led to the loss of lives and the destruction of banks was also reported by Arise News.
There was also a violent protest in Rivers state where banks were reportedly set ablaze, according to the Punch Newspaper.
The above states where crises were reported are led by PDP governments.
Three states including Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara, had reportedly filed a suit against the Federal government over the naira redesign policy.
10 states have since joined the legal battle against the FG at the Supreme Court, Premium Times reported.
Among the plaintiffs, majorly APC states, is Sokoto, a PDP-led state. Also, Rivers and Abia, which are also PDP states have also filed separate suits to challenge the naira redesign policy.
Verdict
Claim by Daniel Bwala that the states where there are crises over the naira redesign policy are only APC-led states is false; Multiple credible reports have shown that PDP-led states are also part of the controversies induced by the naira swap policy.