Press Statement
…Says Presidency, APC Are Desperately Seeking Public Acceptance
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) charges President Muhammadu Buhari
and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop posturing as if they
truly have the mandate of Nigerians for a second tenure in the
Presidency after rigging the 2019 Presidential election won by Atiku
Abubakar.
The PDP lampoons President Buhari for trying to use another promise of
true federalism to earn legitimacy for a rigged election, a ploy that is
dead on arrival, as Nigerians are very much aware that he and his party,
the APC, have never shown any commitment towards true federalism.
The party said Nigerians have already bought into Atiku Abubakar’s
blueprint for governance, particularly his manifest genuine commitment
towards the implementation of true federalism and cannot fall for empty
promises by President Buhari and the APC.
President Buhari ought to have known that Nigerians have seen through
APC’s empty promises and beguilements and as such, cannot jettison the
presidential mandate they gave to Atiku Abubakar, who they know have the
commitment and will power to implement true federalism in our country,
when he retrieves his mandate at the courts.
Nigerians have not forgotten how President Buhari in his 2018 New Year
address, rejected the idea of restructuring, by declaring that “When all
the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is
that our problems are more to do with process than structure.”
They can also recall how on June 9, 2017, the Minister of Information,
Lai Mohammed, in a Radio Nigeria (FRCN) interview programme, had stated
that restructuring is not President Buhari’s priority.
Nigerians can also recall how the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir
el-Rufai, on June 29, 2017, during an interview on Channels TV, denied
that the APC promised restructuring and described Nigerians, who are
taking his party to task on the issue, as “political opportunists and
irresponsible” people.
Our citizens have not forgotten “to hell with restructuring,” outburst
of Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, a statement that captures the
mindset of the totality of APC leaders towards true federalism and
restructuring.
The PDP therefore counsels President Buhari’s handlers to help him use
the remaining part of this tenure to find solutions for the problems
caused by his incompetent administration, instead of engaging in
unnecessary acceptance shopping mechanisms for a rigged 2019
presidential election.
Nigerians are determined that Atiku Abubakar will retrieve his stolen
mandate at the court and they look up to him for a transparent, honest
and purposeful administration, committed to repositioning our nation,
including building institutions that will engender true federalism, good
governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity in our nation.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
