National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has broken his silence on the photo in circulation which gives the impression that he is working for the victory of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s presidential election.

The photo, first sighted on Tuesday by News Express, shows Tinubu being flanked by a bevy of female supporters of Atiku.

The photo surfaced shortly after PDP claimed that some unnamed APC chieftains were reaching out to Atiku in anticipation that the former vice president would win the 2019 presidential election.

Reacting to the photo and the interpretations, Tinubu’s spokesman, Tunde Rahman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the selfie was taken when Tinubu bumped into some PDP stalwarts at the Private Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

His words: “These people who included ex-DSS Spokesperson Marilyn Ogah quickly warmed up to him and sought a selfie with Asiwaju. Because he knows Ogah well and because of his mature politics, he allowed what he thought was a seemingly innocuous request.

“Now, Marilyn Ogah and PDP elements have turned this noble gesture exemplified by the photograph below into a propaganda machinery and an instrument of blackmail.

“I understand, they even want to place this photograph as an advertorial in newspapers in their desperate attempt to smear Asiwaju and curry support.

“The photograph has been turned into an instrument of blackmail. This is sad indeed. With the way she is using this photograph, Marilyn Ogah has sunken low. Many who were there saw how they forcefully pleaded for the selfie and Asiwaju obliged them even without his trademark cap.

“Please ignore their propaganda and campaign of calumny. There is nothing more to the photograph than an acceptance of a seemingly harmless request for a photograph”