The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday, in Abuja, via a statement told President Muhammadu Buhari that with the 2019 elections around the corner, he cannot sway the people of the Southeast with fake promises and false performance claims.
The party also accused the President of attempting to lure the Southeast geo-political region into supporting his second term, saying however, that the people have resolved not to follow any leader who can not deliver on his promises.
Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Scribe of the PDP said President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have been jittery.
He further said that the Southeast and other geo-political regions across board have expressed an overwhelming acceptance of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, due to his “proven competence, respect for equity and all-inclusiveness in governance”.
His words, “Instead of accepting his failure, which is manifest to all, President Buhari, who is reputed for not fulfilling campaign promises, is busy making a fresh list of fake promises to Nigerians.
“In this desperation, Mr. President fails to understand that the people of the South East, just like other Nigerians, are too sophisticated to fall for gimmicks, false promises and ethnic politics, and as such cannot be swayed from their resolve to rally with Atiku Abubakar to rescue our nation from the shackles of misrule.
“Nigerians have since seen through President Buhari’s bouquet of failures and fake promises, which in any case, cannot heal the wounds of marginalisation, nepotism, inequity, disregard for federal character principle and harsh economic policies, including obnoxious foreign exchange regulations and heavy taxations of his administration, which are killing businesses and plunging families into extreme poverty.
“Nigerians, including those in the South East, know that President Buhari does not keep promises. They know that he has not fulfilled any of the promises he made during the 2015 campaign. As such, they cannot fall to the same old trick ahead of the 2019 general election.
“Moreover, President Buhari is yet to apologize to the Southeast and other geo-political zones over his administration’s indictment for human rights violations, extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, arbitrary detention, torture and reported disappearances, as detailed in the reports by the United States Department of State, Amnesty International, AI, and Transparency International, TI.
“Instead of clutching on straws and seeking to beguile Nigerians with fake promises, blame game and false performance indices, President Buhari should come to terms with the fact that there is no way Nigerians can change their minds about voting in Atiku Abubakar as his inevitable replacement come February, 2019”.
Recall that after a meeting with Southeast governors at the presidential villa last Wednesday, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, had told newsmen that the Southeast stood a chance of getting the presidency in 2023 if they support President Buhari in the 2019 election.
