Tijani Abdulkabeer
Claim
A WhatsApp user, Al-fawzy, shared a statement on a group that late Chuba Okadigbo said to the Candidate of the All Progressive Candidate, Bola Tinubu in 2003 that he was going to be president of Nigeria but was not sure if he (Chuba) would be alive to witness the moment.
“The Establishment might not allow us to Rule Now, but be that as it may, on a very good day, at the appointed time, Tinubu will rule Nigeria. What I do not know is whether I will be around when that happens. But even if I am not there, (Chuba turned to Tinubu) please ASIWAJU, move on and fear not! The vultures will gather against you, but you know what we stand for. Be strong and continue for you shall overcome!”
Verdict
False! There is no evidence that Chuba Okadigbo uttered the said statement.
Verification
To verify this statement, we paste on the Google search bar and the result shows that this same statement first appeared on Facebook on December 13, 2019, claiming that the late Chuba said the same to the current president, Muhammadu Buhari.
We checked for his biography on a credible platform and found that Chuba Okadigbo was a Nigerian professor of Political Science. In 1975, he became the director-general at the Centre for Interdisciplinary and Political Studies and a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In 1979, he was appointed as the political adviser to the president, Shehu Shagari. By the 4th republic, he was elected a senator representing Anambra North.
In 2002, he ran with Muhammadu Buhari in the 2003 presidential elections under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar won the elections. He died from breathing problems on the 25th of September 2003.
Conclusion
False! While there are evidence that he ran for office with Muhammadu Buhari, there are no other evidence at all that shows that he uttered the said statement and throughout, his life background does not reflect that he had contact with the APC Candidate, Bola Tinubu.