Amid the increasing uproar that has greeted Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presence at the prestigious Chatham House interactive session in the UK, renowned political analyst, and Professor of Communications at Baze University, Abiodun Adeniyi has come out to share his thoughts on the APC presidential candidate’s performance at the event.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV’s ‘Prime Time’ a few hours ago, the Prof pointed out that he was not surprised by Tinubu’s performance at the Chatham House because, over time, he (Adeniyi) has learned to lower his expectations whenever he hears the former Lagos governor speaking in public.
Going further, Adeniyi disclosed that he made that decision after realizing that public-speaking is not one of Tinubu’s many gifts, adding that Nigerians should learn to study the strengths of each candidate in order to know what to expect when they engage with the public.
“As for the circumstance of the Chatham House, ordinarily, you would have wanted a gifted candidate, who has the gift of the gap, who is eloquent, and rhetorical. A person who can marshal his points. Of cause, you have to appreciate the individuals for who they are, their pedigree, character disposition, and their attributes. And doing that means we are being fair to them. As for my public knowledge about Tinubu from the 90s, he never really came across as an orator, somebody who is eloquent. He cannot be identified as someone who is a great public speaker but at least he manages to get his points across.
But at this stage, for us, I think it will be helpful to manage our expectations. When it comes to Peter Obi, for instance, I am expecting precision, I am expecting statistics. I am expecting confidence, calmness, and a systematic, above-average rendition of his thoughts. When it comes to Atiku, I expect a methodological rendition of his thoughts, even though there are shortfalls in logic, I still see an ability to marshall his thoughts. And so is Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, I still expect a systematic rendition of thoughts. But when it comes to Tinubu, I may lower my expectations a little bit. Not because I am denigrating him or that I do not like him, but because I also want to manage my psychology knowing that he falls short in the ability to communicate effectively.”
