The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun has said that President Goodluck Jonathan is desperate to win the 2015 presidential election.
Oyegun alleged that there is a secret understanding between the presidency and security forces to turn a blind eye to the Boko Haram insurgency so that the insurgents can occupy as much territory as possible and make elections impossible in these areas that are APC strongholds.
The APC chairman spoke Wednesday at ‘Salvation Rally’ organized by the party in Abuja.
Consequent upon this, he said the party has no confidence in the ability or willingness of President Goodluck Jonathan to organize a free and fair election come February 2015.
“Another pointer that President Jonathan will not allow a free and fair election in 2015 is the reckless use of the police and the military in past elections in Ekiti and Osun states. The extensive use of firearms by PDP thugs in Edo state in collusion with the police to vandalize the Edo State House of Assembly residential quarters, and the Police humiliating treatment of the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, are a few examples of acts of impunity of this government.
“President Goodluck Jonathan is so desperate to win re-election that it will now appear that there is a secret understanding that our security forces should turn a blind eye to the Boko Haram Insurgency so that the insurgents can occupy as much territory as possible and make elections impossible in these areas, knowing fully well these are APC strongholds.
“Otherwise, how does one explain that local hunters carrying Dane guns and amulets are capable of dislodging the dreaded Boko Haram while our once proud army, which has distinguished itself in and out of the country, has failed?
“We daily hear idle talks that the President needs to declare total war on Boko Haram. Pray, what has the Jonathan government been doing since the moment the state of emergency was declared the very first time? Or is the President saying that he declared and renewed the state of emergency several times only to cage the civil populace so that the insurgents can have a free rein,” he queried.
Oyegun also alleged that the war against Boko Haram has become a tool for self enrichment and a tool to disenfranchise Nigerians who are perceived not likely to vote for President Jonathan’s re-election.
“Everything points to the fact that President Jonathan’s handling of the Boko Garam insurgency is aimed at one thing and one thing only: disenfranchisement of persons who are perceived not to be in support of his re-election, especially in the North-Eastern part of the country,” he insisted.
On the collection of permanent voter cards, the APC chairman blamed INEC officials for what he described as a fiasco.
“But we know this is a lie. The truth of the matter is that the ICT unit of INEC, which is working hands in gloves with the Presidential villa, deliberately corrupted the system in order to disenfranchise voters in APC controlled states, he alleged.
He accused Jonathan of being the President of the PDP-controlled states and not that of entire Nigerian states.
According to him, “President Goodluck Jonathan, embarrassed by the runaway success of APC
controlled states, has in the last two years embarked on a wicked scheme to create disaffection among the electorates in APC-controlled states by not funding the Federation Account adequately.
“While this may appear a general problem affecting all states, he has secretly and unconstitutionally being funding PDP controlled states. Not too long ago he dashed all PDP controlled states N2 billion each. Not only does this affect the letter and spirit of our constitution, it also portrays him as the President of the PDP and not that of Nigeria”.
