Handlers of the Presidency’s image have been challenged to tell Nigerians what the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been able to achieve in concrete terms in the last 14 years.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), is of the view that rather than concocting tales about the opposition, the President’ Image Makers should come out to provide evidence that the country is really working.
APC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, statement in Lagos on Sunday, accused the ruling party of a subtle campaigning ahead of 2015 election contrary to INEC’s directive.
The opposition party also reminded PDP chieftains and the Presidency’s top brass that the 2015 election will be anchored on issues and not personalities.
Mohammed stated, “Nigerians want to know why over 40 million youth cannot get a job under a government that gleefully touts a 6% GDP growth; Nigerians want to know how 400,000 barrels of oil are being stolen daily and who the thieves are’ Nigerians want to know why the country is more divided than ever under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan, and why corruption has become a bigger monster in the years under the PDP.
“The 2015 elections will be fought on the platform of issues, not meaningless attacks on personalities and attention-diverting tales like how Gen. Buhari wants to stage a comeback or how Asiwaju Tinubu wants to expand his imaginary empire.
“Our eight cardinal programmes, which we shall be articulating in the days ahead, represent a summary of how we intend to rescue the long-suffering citizens and rescue our nation. These are War Against Corruption, Food security, Accelerated Power Supply, Integrated Transport Network, Free Education, Devolution of Power, Accelerated Economic Growth and Affordable Health Care.
“Our Guiding Philosophy will derive its impetus from these seven principles: Belief in, and the fear of God; Upholding the rule of law; Preserving national unity; Pursuit of a just and egalitarian society; Building of strong institutions; Commitment to social justice and economic progress; and Promoting representative and functional participatory democracy.
“These are the issues we will be enunciating in the days ahead as we steer the politics of our nation away from jejune matters that are at the core of the PDP misrule to serious issues of relevance that will benefit our people under an APC federal government.
“While one of the PDP gong-bearers, Okupe, was telling Nigerians that President Jonathan has not informed anyone that he will contest in 2015, his wife was coercing hundreds of hapless women, including those in uniform, into a show of shame tagged a ”Peace Rally”, but in essence a campaign for President Jonathan ahead of 2015.
“Defying INEC, this brazen campaign featured women clad in specially-made ‘ankara’ that bore the picture of President Jonathan and reminds one of the disgraceful days of the late despot Mobutu Sese Seko of former Zaire, and the late clownish leader of Uganda, Idi Amin. What a company to keep in the 21st century!”
The APC Image Maker, lamented that the ruling PDP could coerce women drawn from various security agencies into participating in an electioneering campaign in the guise of a peace rally in Abuja, calling on INEC to be alive to its responsibility.
“In what must ranked as the first of its kind in Nigeria, women drawn from various security agencies – the same that will be expected to provide security for the 2015 elections – were coerced into a march of shame, as organizers of the campaign masquerading as a peace rally blocked traffic and prevented citizens from earning their daily bread,” Mohammed said.
