The African Action Congress (AAC) has asked President Bola Tinubu for the use of a venue at the presidential villa, along with logistics, to inaugurate 5,000 members of its campaign council, according to Premium Times Nigeria. The request drew a sharp response from Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who mocked the party's presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.
According to TheCable, Basiru described Sowore as a "skit maker," while Sowore fired back by calling the APC secretary a "defender of oppression." Sahara Reporters also reported Sowore's reply, in which he said the Tinubu administration would eventually pass.
The exchange followed the AAC's formal approach to the presidency for the villa venue. Punch Newspapers listed the request among its top stories for the day.
The back-and-forth centres on the unusual sight of an opposition party seeking space inside the seat of federal power for its own campaign launch. Neither side has publicly released the full text of the AAC's letter or the government's response to it.
It remains to be seen whether the presidency will grant the AAC access to the villa grounds or provide the requested logistics. Watch for an official reply from the presidency and for any further statements from either party.
