President Bola Tinubu

The Presidency has explained why President Bola Tinubu suffered gaffes and occasional slips during the 2023 presidential campaign.

Recall that Tinubu, who was the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election, suffered gaffes during campaigns, which the opposition candidates dwelt on.

In an interview with Nigerian Tribune, a presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, said the gaffes were symptoms of a candidate who over-flogged himself during the campaign.

Onanuga said during the campaign that President Tinubu did not keep a regular sleep schedule and sometimes would not sleep until late at night because he was under pressure.

He asserted that all the punishment the president gave himself was not in vain, adding that opposition candidates are shocked and surprised that Tinubu attends international events and speaks fluently.

He wrote: “What people saw were symptoms of a candidate who over-flogged himself during the campaign, a candidate who did not keep a normal sleep schedule. Sometimes, he would not sleep until the wee hours. Sometimes, he would go to sleep at 3a.m, 4a.m and someone would still come at 5a.m, and he would wake up to hold a meeting with the person. So, he was punishing himself.

“And to the glory of God, all the punishment he gave himself was not in vain. What are they saying now when the same man goes out to events and speaks fluently, extemporaneously?

“They are surprised and shell-shocked about the brilliance of the same person they pilloried during the campaign. A lot of people did not understand what the man went through. Tinubu was the frontrunner in that campaign, and he was under all manner of pressure.”