The Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC has described as an “expected massive disaster” the presidential campaign launch of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP held in Uyo on Monday.
It said that its activities at the campaign were nothing but disdain and disrespect to the Nigerian public.
In a statement, the campaign spokesman, Festus Keyamo called out the party for putting up a show of shame, and reeling unashamedly a litany of falsehoods to the Nigerian public.
“Speaker after speaker kept echoing a farrago of incomprehensible political jargons that left most Nigerians wondering whether it was a circus.
“For example, if not the loss of the sense of shame, what else could have goaded PDP’s now discredited ‘sit tight’ National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to be audacious enough to stand on a podium today in Uyo and make any promise to Nigerians?
” Has he been able to fulfill the promise he made to himself and his party members to step down from office should a Northerner emerge as the presidential candidate at their party primaries?” Keyamo said.
He highlighted that the campaign was shunned by the National Vice-Chairmen of the South-South, South-West, and five sitting Governors out of thirteen, stating that such is a red-flag that resounds how disunited the party is yet claims to want have the capacity to unite Nigeria.
According to Keyamo, it calls for concern that sitting governors who are representatives of the people at the state level could pull out from the presidential campaign of the party, stating that such is enough to tell Nigerians of how unfit and unworthy they find the party to lead the country.
“How can a party that cannot unite itself promise to unite Nigeria? How can a party that brazenly violates its own constitution on zoning be trusted to obey the constitution of Nigeria if again trusted with power?”, Keyamo wonderd.
“Fortunately, to the benefit of Nigerians, there remains a few good men within PDP.
“These honourable men belonging to the party’s NWC, deemed it right to return hundreds of millions of Naira allegedly transferred into their individual bank accounts as “hush money” to suppress the investigation of the scandal of humongous financial misappropriation levelled against their National Chairman.
“It is quite obvious to Nigerians that the PDP is a house that is divided against itself and it sure won’t stand. At their presidential campaign flag-off in Uyo today, the absence of many of the PDP State Governors tells a story to Nigerians that no amount of political jamboree can whitewash PDP’s cracked walls.
“It tells a story of a budding autocratic leadership, nourished by impunity, which now fans the flame of divisions and absolute disrespect for laid down rules and regulation.
“Not much should, therefore, be expected from such a gathering. With the obvious inability of its Presidential Candidate to assuage frayed nerves of disaffected persons within their ranks, how will it be possible for such a person to unite people within such a diverse landscape as Nigeria? You definitely cannot give what you don’t have”, he added.
Keyamo, who is also the Minister of Labour and Transportation noted that the PDP has shown how unscrupulous it is such that after its ignominious sixteen years as the ruling party in the country, it is not contrite of the untold damages it brought the way of the
“The PDP and its self-conceited leadership failed woefully to put its house in order before hitting the streets to ask for the votes of Nigerians and ironically, telling Nigerians they are on a rescue mission. Till date, their National Secretariat remains uncompleted, whilst the APC, in its relatively shorter existence, now has a permanent headquarters.
“Our democracy is young. This Fourth Republic is barely 24 years old. But then, a 24 years old man would be said to be coming of age. At this time, Nigerians are no longer interested in a trial-and-error leadership.
“Those who have not been proven to be “good enough” leaders should have no access to our highest office. If nothing else speaks to the disaster an Abubakar Atiku presidency will be, this crisis within the PDP does so eloquently.
“It is high time Nigerians called out the PDP for their spurious promises and the obnoxious behaviour of their helmsmen.