Bola Tinubu is currently trending on twitter.
Supporters of Nigeria’s incoming president are lashing out on Twitter after the fact-checking website UBerFacts revealed Bola Tinubu‘s legal troubles with U.S. authorities, in which he forfeited $460,000 in ill-gotten money from cocaine deals in 1993.
“In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu turned over $460,000 to the United States government after a Chicago court determined the money came from heroin trafficking,” UberFacts told its 13.5 million global audience at midnight on Monday. The platform appended an article from Ejes Gist News Nigeria that described Mr. Tinubu’s criminal encounter with foreign authorities.
In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the US government after a Chicago court found the income came from heroin trafficking pic.twitter.com/aRzrTXJtl4
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 9, 2023
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The issue, which climbed to the top of Twitter’s trending topics, has irked Mr. Tinubu’s campaign team, as high-ranking members have remained silent, presumably deciding how best to respond and counter the post, while lower-level supporters are attacking UberFacts’s Twitter account in an attempt to ridicule and discredit the platform.
The usual surrogates -Bayo Onanuga, Festus Keyamo, Femi Fani-Kayode, Dele Alake- who are quick to jump against the slightest criticism against their principal have all so far kept studied silence, likely strategising to counter UberFacts as they did when Chimamanda Adichie, celebrated Nigerian author, asked the U.S. president Joe Biden not to congratulate Mr Tinubu on his questionable election victory last week.
“@uberfacts is actually @uberlies,” tweeted @KemPatriot, an APC loyalist. “If you have ever relied on @UberFacts for facts, it’s time to unfollow them, they are a pay per post organisation, who post lies for th (sic) highest bidder.”
Another loyalist of president-elect alleged UberFacts was a propaganda platform, even though the full court documents had since been published by The Ejes Gist .
“We know the mandators and propagandists that convulse on mendacious innuendoes. They are free to bring same as evidence to court. Make I take Uber go check inauguration venue again self, @AdeHardemola quipped. “Awa ti se orire lati ana.”
@Zdenowo claimed the platform published Mr Tinubu’s drug case to gain relevance online.
“They know their audience. They needed the attention of the headless mob to revive their already dead page. I didn’t even bother reading the story because I know their game plan. Yeye people,” they tweeted.
“Yeye people” means unserious people in the Yoruba language.
Despite the certified true copies of his money forfeiture already in the public domain, Mr Tinubu insists he has no criminal record when he registered his presidential ambition with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year.
The president-elect, all through his campaign, avoided talks regarding his haunting criminal past and his supporters flay anyone or groups who bring up the matter.
“Nonsense. That is my reaction,” Mr Onanuga told The Ejes Gist Monday afternoon. “They keep recycling this matter. Who is Uber! Who is Uber! Please don’t spoil my day,” he stressed as he dismissed the matter.
