*Advises ASUU not to allow itself to be used as political mercenaries

The Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) has frowned at reports that the presidential candidate of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been holding meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) towards ending the union’s protracted industrial action.

POSN in a statement signed by Mr Adegbite Adekunle, Deputy Director of Communications, Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) said the purported talks with ASSU to end the ASUU strike is a campaign stunt by the scandal prone APC candidate that is designed for failure.

The support group said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should be holding meetings with President Muhamamdu Buhari to end the lecturer’s strike and not with the ASUU.

“Nigerian universities have been on lockdown for more down two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigerians are afraid that their students will continue the stay-at-home pandemic unless the ruling party is kicked out of government”, POSN lamented in the statement issued on Thursday.

“With this development, the All Progressives Congress further establishes that it does not view anything as sacred in its quest to retain power, including, the endangerment of the academic future of our youths and trammelling the professional potentials of our scholars”, POSN stated.

The statement reads: “The Peter Obi Support Network frowns at reports emanating from the campaign office of the presidential candidate of the All-Progressives Congress, to the effect that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been holding meetings with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, towards ending the union’s protracted industrial action.

“The POSN views this development as a confirmation that the ASUU strike may have been deliberately designed to create a good campaign platform for its controversy ridden presidential candidate, who has obviously found it difficult to take off on his presidential bid.

“With this development, the All Progressives Congress further establishes that it does not view anything as sacred in its quest to retain power, including, the endangerment of the academic future of our youths and trammelling the professional potentials of our scholars.

“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should be holding meetings with President Muhamamdu Buhari to end the lecturer’s strike and not with the ASUU.

“Nigerian universities have been on lockdown for more down two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigerians fear that their students will continue the stay-at-home pandemic unless the ruling party is kicked out of government.

“We suspect that President Muhammadu Buhari has set up the stalemate in negotiations between the ASUU and the Federal Government and would quickly clear the hurdle following Tinubu’s stage-managed intervention, to cast him (Tinubu) as a good negotiator and problem solver, which will confer some advantage to him in the campaign trail.

“We advise the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities not to allow itself to be used as political mercenaries by the APC, by refusing to attend any further meetings or allow the APC presidential candidate to broker any kind of truce between the union and the Federal Government.

“The ASUU leadership should continue its negotiations with the rightful officials of the Federal Government, without the involvement of the APC presidential candidate, lest the respected Union lose its respect and credibility before Nigerians.

“The POSN further advises our long-suffering Nigerian university students and other Nigerians who are victims of APC bad governance and treachery, to keep hope alive in the new Nigeria which shall be birthed with the Obi-Datti presidency in 2023.”

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