The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the announcement by the Muhammadu Buhari-led Presidency that the family of human rights activist, Dr Martin Luther King Jr conferred an award on President Muhammadu Buhari as a national disgrace and embarrassment.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, said the lie by Buhari’s handlers smacks of desperation by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to procure international endorsement, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The leading opposition party said this embarrassing act has again made Nigeria a laughing stock before the international community.
The party said the nation was jolted when The King Centre distanced itself from the award and noted that, “the award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Centre, at the request of The King Centre or by the children of Martin Luther King Jr”.
According to PDP, “It is now clear that this sinking, incompetent and deceptive APC administration, in their desperation, can fabricate and stage-manage anything, including name-dropping of international figures and agencies, in their desperate attempt to delude Nigerians, once again, now that the 2019 general election is fast approaching.
“Nigerians have discovered that having failed to gain any endorsement from reputable international figures such as Bill Gates, the APC and the Presidency have now cheapened the nation by resorting to this despicable act of name-dropping of world-renowned human rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, further dragging down our once sterling image before the comity of Nations.
“The fact remains that not many Nigerians believed in the authenticity of the award in the first place, as the Buhari-led administration, by its undemocratic and anti-people proclivities, including records of violations of rights of citizens, is not deserving of any form of recognition by any human rights group, let alone the family of the world-acclaimed Martin Luther King Jr.
“Today, the PDP has been vindicated in its stand that the APC government is not only hypocritical but overtly deceptive and must not be trusted,” the PDP added.
“It would be recalled that we had issued a statement, earlier this year, cautioning Nigerians and the international community to be wary of information and claims coming from the APC and the Presidency, particularly on endorsements and performance indices.
“While we urge the Presidency to shed its proclivity for lies, we demand the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of all the Presidency officials involved in this messy scandal and crime against our nation.
“Moreover, the Presidency and the APC should save the nation further embarrassment by jettisoning other planned endorsement stunts and fabricated performance indices, as Nigerians are already rallying with the repositioned and rebranded PDP in their collective quest to end the misrule of the APC and restore a sincere, purposeful and people-oriented government come 2019,” the party concluded.
Similarly, former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili and the co-convener of the BringBackOurGirls, BBOG movement, Aisha Yusufu, have taken to social media, to slam President Muhammadu Buhari over a ‘fake’ Martin Luther King award he received some days back.
The Presidency had at the time told Nigerians that, “President @MBuhari today at the State House received Martin Luther King Jnr’s family. He was also conferred with the 1st Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award 2018. #AsoVillaToday”.
The children of Martin Luther King and the King Centre have, however, come out to deny issuing the accolade to Buhari.
Reacting to the development, Ezekwesili described the whole thing as “award comedy”, saying, “Can my Yoruba friends remind me what the meaning of “Ayekooto” is again?
“This one resurrected Correta Scott King from the dead to present the award.”
Aisha, on her part, responded, “If only these folks will calm down, and learn from these Perennial Errors.
“@DeeOneAyekooto is one of those supporters of President Buhari @MBuhari whose incompetence has made life so difficult so that they resort to resurrecting a woman who died over 12 years ago to present award to a failed President. 2019 defeat of PMB will fix him Insha Allah.”
Meanwhile, the family of late Martin Luther King (Jnr) has dissociated itself from giving President Muhammadu Buhari an award on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.
According to Coretta Scott King, an American author, activist, civil rights leader, and the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. the award given to President Buhari was not given by ‘The King Centre, at the request of The King Centre or by the children of Martin Luther King Jr’.
Recall that the Presidency, last Tuesday disclosed that President Buhari received the family of the late African American civil rights activist, Martin Luther King (Jr), at the State House, Abuja and was also conferred with the 1st Black History Month National Black Excellence and Exceptional African Leadership Award 2018.
Eventually, all Nigerian local media carried the story, gripping on the presidency’s report.
But on its official tweeter handle, @TheKingCenter, the official living memorial to #MLK, founded by #CorettaScottKing to educate on non-violence and build the #BelovedCommunity. #Nonviolence365™.
#Atlanta, it said “The award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of #MLK and #CorettaScottKing. @MrFixNigeria”, it twittered.
Conversely, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday, submitted that the award was given by Naomi in a personal capacity and not on behalf of The King Centre.
In a statement made available to newsmen, yesterday, Dabiri-Erewa’s spokesman, Abdulrahman Balogun, said that the award was a commemorative plaque to appreciate Buhari’s fight against corruption in Nigeria.
The statement read: “The members, led by the matriarch of MLK, Naomi Barbara King, were in Nigeria as part of the activities initiated to celebrate a low-key Black History Month in Nigeria as part of deepening partnership between Africa and its Diaspora.
“As part of the activities, they visited President Muhammadu Buhari and gave him a commemorative plaque for his fight against corruption and what they termed from the “Africania Diaspora” a term for Africans in Diaspora for which the oldest of them all Naomi.
“Barbara King was selected to present on behalf of the family (Not MLK Centre) as a sign of appreciation to the Nigerian President”, part of the statement read.