Mr Tinubu made the assertion during the presentation of his campaign manifesto on Friday in Abuja without providing context or rationale for his charge.

“I stand before you proudly, noting that those who are afraid of the budget, the thoughts of borrowing. Yes, borrowing. If borrowing is a crime, the entire America should be in jail. If borrowing is a crime, stop using Mercedes Benz and Lexus,” Mr Tinubu declared.

Listeners were left in quandary as to the correlation between usage of particular brands of vehicles and concerns for ballooning national debts

The former Lagos governor has been under scrutiny for his mental alertness and general healthiness as he struggles with his frail physicality.

Recently, he has made some incoherent references which have further raised concerns among his watchers, who fear the 70-year-old may be showing signs of demential

In one of his recent public engagements, Mr Tinubu admitted that his handlers had warned him not to speak outside his written script, in an apparent move to curtail his slew of gaffes.