The Tinubu Campaign Organisation has said the clergymen at Wednesday’s unveiling of Kashim Shettima, the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate in Abuja, were not fake as was speculated in the social media.

In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson for the organisation, said the clergymen were those gradually building their mission.

“They are not big names in Christendom yet, they are gradually building up their missions.

“They are church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry and rather embrace politics of peace and nation building,” Mr Onanuga said.

On Wednesday, Peoples Gazette reported that fake bishops had appeared at the event to create an impression that nation-building was a greater focus than religious beliefs.

However, Catholic Church said it did not send any representation to the vice presidential candidate. One of the fake bishops had also narrated how the ruling party paid them for their appearance.

Describing the reports of the fake bishops as unwarranted distractions, Mr Onanuga said, “We want to say that those clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers as the purveyors of hatred have made Nigerians believe in the social media.”

He believed that Nigerians were too wise and discerning to see through this shenanigan.

Mr Onanuga assured that Messrs Tinubu,  Shettima and the APC were working very hard to provide purposeful leadership and good progressive governance that would improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

“We are well aware that the opposition parties and the sponsors of the social media charade are jittery and threatened by the intimidating political credentials of our candidates.

“The only way they hope to shift the attention of public scrutiny away from their uninspiring candidates and credentials is to create social media distraction,” he stated.

(NAN)