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Buhari’s 2nd Term ’ll Divide Nigeria -PDP …Chides APC Over Bloody Congress
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told President Muhammadu Buhari that his quest for re-election will further divide and impoverish Nigerians.
In a statement yesterday, the main opposition party said contrary to what President Buhari declared at the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress in Daura, Katsina State last Saturday, his first term score card showed anti-people policies and failure to serve the good of the ordinary citizens.
The statement signed by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, stressed that the President’s second term agenda is directly a quest to continue to enrich the Presidency cabal, promote nepotism and protect cronies and corrupt members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the long arms of the law.
“It is unfortunate that the same President, who, in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) last week, could not present any agenda to justify his re-election bid, is attempting to sway Nigerians with cosmetic patriotism.
“What President Buhari’s handlers fail to understand is that Nigerians, being direct victims of his misrule, are aware that the harsh and reckless policies of his incompetent administration, coupled with his body language, are expressly responsible for the untold economic hardship, ethnic division and daily bloodletting currently ravaging our nation.
“If, indeed, the President was out to serve, as he claimed at the APC congress, we challenge him to show any of his 2015 campaign promises he has fulfilled or any development project initiated and implemented to the benefit of the people in the last three years.
“President Buhari’s second term is a quest to continue to ignore and destroy democratic principles; to continue trampling on the rights of citizens and persecution of opposition and perceived political opponents; to continue the derailing of democracy with manifest disdain for constitutional order; to continue with the intimidation and harassment of the legislature and the judiciary; perpetuation of mediocrity in governance; de-marketing Nigeria at international fora and to blame everyone else but himself for manifest incapacity to govern.
“Nigerians know that the agenda is being pushed by members of the Presidency cabal, who are desperate to protect huge economic empires and to cover their atrocities in government.
“Nigerians do not need clairvoyants and psychics to know that another term for the President will lead to decimation of the middle class, over-taxation of the poor, the complete erosion of freedom and secret fight against free enterprise.
“It will surely lead to the complete destruction of our economy, our democracy and most importantly the unity of our nation,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday in Abuja condemned the violence and bloodletting that characterised Saturday’s All Progressives Congress ward congresses in the country.
The party said it was worrisome that the country’s electoral processes are still very much smudged by unnecessary resort to violence by contenders, even when it said there were available channels for the resolution of disagreements at various levels of engagement.
National Publicity Secretary of the forner ruling party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said that the PDP was not happy about the violence and called on politicians to be tolerant of each other.
He said, “The PDP regrets the violence and calls on Nigerians, particularly political stakeholders, to make sure that our political and electioneering processes across board, is free of violence especially, as we approach the 2019 general elections.
“Our party values the life of every single Nigerian and we implore all contenders, including political parties, to eschew desperation for power, especially in the face of loss of popularity and public support due to performance issues.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us and we seek a peaceful environment where the citizens are free to vote for candidates of their choice at all levels, particularly the Presidency.
