The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) again has attacked the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), with the National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, describing him as a semi-literate jackboot.
This came as the war of words between the PDP and the APC continued on Monday as the PDP said no amount of blackmail and wild allegations against President Goodluck Jonathan can exonerate the APC of blame for insurgency and the wave of violence ravaging some northern states of the country.
Oladipo also said the 2015 presidential election would be a straight battle between “light and darkness,” stating that the APC is not a political party that is really ready to offer an alternative to the teeming masses of the country.
Speaking yesterday during an interactive session with officials of the PDP foreign chapters, Oladipo said: “In preparing for the next election which will not be like previous elections because for the first time, the opposition has coupled together a contraction that is called the APC. They have passed through a motion and endorsed their perennial candidate, we have beaten him three times and we are going to beat him once again.
“The next election is going to be between darkness and light, it is going to be between a cosmopolitan highly focused PhD holder and a semi-literate jackboot,” in an apparent reference to Buhari.
The PDP national secretary described the APC as a political party without focus and agenda for Nigeria, saying: “The only agenda they seem to have is to see our back but I know that God loves this country so much. God has decided that this country will remain indivisible and has decided that this country will continue to wax stronger. This country will not go back to 1983 where we will start doing trade by barter with Brazil.
“God has decreed it that we will continue to pilot the affairs of this country and continue to implement the transformation agenda.”
The PDP scribe further lashed out at the APC, describing it as a religious and ethnic-based party, saying: “Our party does not belong to any religious organisation or ethnic group.”
While charging the representatives of various chapters, Oladipo said: “You will be called upon to enlighten Nigerians on the programmes of the PDP wherever you reside in the world.
“You will also be called upon to counter negative propaganda that the APC is making against our party and our country in different countries of this world.
“Of course, we are not perfect but our mission is perfect. We mean well for this country and we believe the country should continue to be one and that we should be a market-driven economy while at the same time, providing succour for the weak.”
He informed the members of the PDP foreign chapters that the party has set up a National Campaign Council headed by the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu and that Dr. Ahmadu Ali, a former national chairman is the Director General of the campaign.
Speaking on the agenda of the PDP-led government, he said: “We have a role to play in reaching the world today. It is no longer paper posters alone, we need virtual posters to reach people. Of course the APC is there propagating rubbish about our country and advertising everything that is negative about our country, ignoring all the positive aspects of our nation, we are going to call on you to counter this.”
On who is the governorship candidate of PDP in Ogun State, the PDP national secretary said: “INEC has set December 26 as the deadline for submitting the list of candidate for governorship and House of Assembly members. Our party will beat that deadline and as for Anambra State, we organised primaries and the names of those who won have been sent to INEC.”
Meanwhile, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday said the memories of Nigerians are not short on the body language and inciting utterances of the APC leaders, including their presidential candidate, Buhari, which have served as fuel to the raging flame of terrorism.
According to the PDP, by going to the international media recently to distance themselves from complicity and in turning round to blame Nigerians to suddenly grow forgetful of the barrage of statements by their leaders that promoted insurgency in the country.
The party observed that whereas a statesmanly statement from a person of Buhari’s age and status could have helped douse the tension in the land, the APC presidential candidate chose incendiary remarks, which emboldened insurgents, apparently in keeping with the agenda of his party to achieve political control through violence.
The PDP compared the attitude of APC leaders on insurgency to the metaphor of a young man sent on a criminal mission by his father, whose boldness knows no bounds.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the spontaneous violence and mayhem on innocent citizens following inciting statements by Buhari and other APC leaders then in the defunct CPC, upon losing the 2011 presidential election.
“The APC leaders have so far left no Nigerian in doubt of their party’s violent disposition as Buhari in May 2012, remorselessly stated that ‘the monkey and baboon will be soaked in blood’ should he lose the 2015 presidential election.
“Attesting that penchant for violence flows in the portal vein of the rank and file of the APC, Buhari’s ‘Man-Friday’ and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Malam Nasir El-Rufai, in his capacity then as APC Deputy National Secretary, in January 2014, told the whole world that ‘the next election is likely to be violent and many people are likely going to die. And the only alternative left to get power is to take it by force; this is the reality on ground.’
“Nigerians have also read and heard other ricocheting calls for violence and threats of parallel government from other leaders of this same party. These are not just mere slips but incontrovertible snips from the agenda of the APC to sustain insurgency and set the stage for carnage after they lose in the 2015 general elections.
“We find it funny that the APC which has presented its standard bearer, Buhari, as a macho mascot that will bring insurgency to an end in matter of weeks using sheer force, is turning round to play the card of dialogue just to disparage the president.
“Ironically, for over a year of General Buhari’s draconian rule in the 1980s and even now in pretended love for democracy, the General is never known to be amenable to any form of dialogue. So, where will this hyped Midas touch on dialogue come from?
“Well-meaning Nigerians appreciate the way and manner the Jonathan administration is confronting insurgency using dialogue and military option. Twice, the Council of State has appraised and endorsed this approach despite spirited efforts by the opposition to distract the president and demoralise our security forces,” the PDP said.
Source: allafrica.com
