A heated social media confrontation has erupted between activist Aisha Yesufu and aides to President Bola Tinubu following Yesufu's criticism of the President at a recent international event.
The dispute began when Yesufu alleged on Twitter that President Tinubu was snubbed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during an inauguration event after his re-election.
In her tweet, Yesufu claimed that President Tinubu had been "disgraced and shunned," sparking a wave of social media reactions.
The presidency responded through Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who described Yesufu and her followers as "an uncouth horde of pessimists," accusing them of bitterness due to their candidate's third-place finish in the 2023 elections.
Onanuga criticized Yesufu for her hasty judgment and consistently negative attitude toward President Tinubu, contrasting this with the behaviour of supporters of the second-place candidate in the elections.
Senior Special Assistant on New Media to President Tinubu, O'tega Ogra, also joined the rebuttal, accusing Yesufu of "crass ignorance" and actions aimed more at gaining social media traction than engaging constructively.
Ogra took pains to refute specific allegations made by Yesufu regarding the incident at the inauguration event, pointing out factual inaccuracies in her statements.
Onanuga stated, "Aisha and her uncouth horde of pessimists are always quick to rush to judgment with any whiff of what appears to them to be negative to the leader of Africa's biggest democracy."
Ogra added, "Aisha, have the constitutionally guaranteed right to express yourself, but your consistent display of crass ignorance and shameful behaviour, seemingly aimed at garnering likes and retweets, in the name of your disdain and hatred (which you profess at any given opportunity) for Nigeria is shameful to say the least."
The social media spat has highlighted the ongoing tensions between political figures and activists in Nigeria, and the role of social media in shaping public discourse and perceptions.
