A presidential aspirant under the platform of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, and some section of Nigerians have berated former Super Eagles players following their visit to former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The ex-internationals, which included Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, Victor Ikpeba and Taribo West, on Saturday met with Tinubu at his Ikoyi home, ahead of a novelty football match, which was played on Sunday at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos State to mark Tinubu’s 70th birthday.
In videos and pictures that went viral, Taribo, who has turned pastor, was captured fervently praying for Tinubu.
The ex-AC Milan defender prayed for the restoration of Nigeria to its rightful place via Tinubu.
However, the retired footballers action stirred reactions on different social media platforms.
Sowore, in a post on his verified Facebook and Instagram accounts, described the former players’ visit to the APC presidential aspirant as a shame and one driven by hunger.
Sowore said, “Hunger is a bastard! JJ Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, and other ex-Super Eagles players paid Tinubu a visit today to endorse him.
“I used to think Victor Ikpeba was a smart person! Shame on these ex-soccer Super Eagles players! Imagine sending them to play for Nigeria as a team in the World Cup after they’ve expired?”
The retired footballers, made up largely of the class of 1994 and the Atlanta ’96 Olympics gold medallists, had equally paid a visit to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State last year, prior to a novelty match between the state executive council team and the combined sets of the 1994 and 1996 Eagles at the Confluence Stadium in Lokoja.
At that time, there were insinuations that the Kogi Governor was gearing up to contest for the seat of Nigeria’s president in 2023.
Sowore, in reference to the former footballers’ visits to Bello and Tinubu, added, “Like Judas Iscariot, Hunger is a bastard! Hunger has betrayed Taribo West and his fellow ex-Super Eagles con men. It is just so sad! That a group of patriots could be moving from one derelict political thief to another just to get peanuts and crumbs. It is a shame!”
Japheth Omojuwa wrote, “It doesn’t look like Taribo got Kanu and Okocha’s consent about the putting their blood in line bit. They looked up like, “when did we agree to this? Over syllabus.”
A Twitter user with the name @ynature84 mocked the former defender making reference to his prophecy on the former American president, Donald Trump.
“Pastor Taribo that said Trump will win election…omo Tinubu self dey look am with bad eye like don’t make me be like Trump,” he tweeted.
Another Twitter user with the same @kemawilly said, “So because of $30,000, JJ Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo want put themselves this low before Nigerians?”
Enebeli Sam wrote, “How much Tinubu want to give people like Kanu and Okocha that will make them go and embarrass themselves like that …how much?”
