President-elect Bola Tinubu has challenged his online detractors, claiming that it is a free speech society, to keep saying anything they want on different social media platforms.
Tinubu argued that the reason he told Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, that he would not reimburse the cost of the flyovers he built there was that he could not commit to anything until he was sworn in as president.
At a banquet held in his honor on Wednesday night, Tinubu revisited what he called the banter with Wike and mentioned how it had sparked a lot of discussion on social media.
However, the former governor of Lagos State claimed that he has been criticized on social media by every name under the sun and that he does not respond to them.
“If you take me seriously, (it’s up to you) I had a friendly exchange with Gov. Wike. I’m a president-elect, that much is true. Until I’m sworn in, I can’t sign anything. How can I commit to something? At this time, I am unable to sign any expenditure or payment for Nigeria. At any given time, there can only be one president.
“If you ask me to go and make commitments to things that are only expectations and cannot be kept, I will decline because I believe in keeping my word and that’s why I’m here. For Nigeria, too, we must act. I appreciate all of your help during the election, but I’m still counting down.
“I can’t pay if I sign anything for you right now and commit to it. How can I pay for that flyover, personally? That is not possible.
“I hope that allayed your concerns regarding social media. I don’t reply to (social media conversations). They have referred to me on every social media platform under the sun. Around the world, there is freedom of speech.”