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Tag: PDP

  • PDP to Buhari: Your Presidency reeks of corruption

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari has failed the integrity test and has no moral rectitude to pontificate on corruption.

    The PDP said the President has entangled himself and soiled his administration in corruption.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said if there is any person whose activities of corruption have become a threat to the coming election, it is President Buhari.

    The main opposition party accused the President of financing his campaign with looted funds, while surrounding himself with politicians indicted for corruption.

    The statement was a reaction to President Buhari’s accusation of corruption against the PDP, particularly with regards to the opposition party’s campaign expenses.

    But the PDP it has all the while refrained from calling out the President on his “various indictments” for corruption, even during his reign as a military ruler.The statement reads, “A clear reading of Mr. President’s statement today shows that he is not yet aware that Nigerians have decoded his mastery of concealments of corruption in his Presidency and are no longer interested in his failed self-acclaimed fight against corruption.

    “President Buhari presides over the most corrupt and incompetent administration in the history of our nation, for which Nigerians are very eager to go to the polls on Saturday to vote him out of office.

    “If Mr. President were to be aware, he would have discovered that his entire surrounding reeks of moral, institutional and integrity corruption.

    “But since he has consistently claimed not to be aware of anything around him, it is imperative to let him know that the fish in his pond is rotten from the head.

    “Clinical examples can be drawn from his campaign council. Nigerians are aware that not a few members of this council have been indicted for malfeasance bordering on corruption

    “Is it not strange therefore that President Buhari who wants Nigerians to perceive his administration as fighting corruption, will cast a net into the ocean and bring out only corrupt people to run his campaign?

    “The truth is that Nigerians have seen more than enough of the fake fight against corruption and have come to a conclusion that President Buhari is merely paying lip services to this fight. He has no intention to do it and even if he had the opportunity to govern perpetually, he will never fight corruption.

    “Rather than seeking for sympathy votes, President Buhari should simply admit his failure in governance and allow Nigerians to build their future by getting our nation working again under the leadership of Atiku Abubakar”.

     

  • We’ll resist rigging, PDP vows

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to mobilise Nigerians to resist rigging and defend their votes in Saturday’s presidential election.

    This, according to the main opposition party, is meant to counter alleged plots by the Presidency and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the February 16 presidential election.

    At a media briefing in Abuja Sunday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said President Buhari and the APC have been uncomfortable with the consensus by Nigerians across the board, to vote in its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of the country.

    “The PDP has resolved therefore to unbridle, in full measure, all defence machinery legitimately available to us, including our numerical strength, in marching with millions of Nigerians across our nation to defend our votes, with the stiffest resistance, ever, against any infraction by the APC and the Buhari Presidency.

    “In this regard, the PDP charges all its members and supporters, in their millions, to politically occupy and become extra vigilant by closely monitoring all electoral activities around their polling centres.

    “Our members and supporters are hereby directed to get prepared to arrive at their polling centres very early on the day of election; monitor the activities of electoral officers, note all strange faces and resist any attempt by any alien or unregistered person to vote.

    “Our members and supporters are further directed to remain at the polling centres after casting their votes, monitor the collation of results, use all means available to defend all our votes to the last and ensure that no result is altered.

    “In this determination, the PDP is ready to confront the Buhari-controlled security forces and APC thugs, head to head, at all levels. For this, we charge our members and supporters to use every means available to them legitimately in a democracy to defend themselves and resist all acts of intimidation by the APC”, Ologbondiyan said.

    The party charged its members and supporters across the federation to continue to be at alert and await further directives ahead of the elections.

    Accusing the President Buhari and the APC of desperate moves to rig the polls, the PDP said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacked the will to conduct credible, free and fair elections.

    The party recalled its February 4, 2019 demand on INEC to, within 48 hours, make public, for the purpose of verification by stakeholders, the Commission’s lists of officials and ad hoc staff that will play any form of role in the conduct of the presidential election.

    Ologbondiyan said the demand on INEC was predicated on  findings that the INEC leadership, in deference to directives by the Presidency and the APC, had collected lists of APC loyalists from APC state governors and candidates, across the federation to serve as electoral officials, including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the polling units.

    He continued, “You will recall that upon our demand, the APC openly directed INEC to ignore the PDP and go ahead with its compromised list. Shockingly, the INEC leadership appeared to have obeyed the APC, ostensibly because of threats by the party to give its leadership the ‘Onnoghen treatment’ if it fails to comply.

    “The world is already aware of how INEC has continued to allow the foisting of a relation of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs. Amina Zakari, as the head of the INEC collation centre, where she is being positioned to alter results and allocate figures to President Buhari and the APC, in spite of the public outrage against such.

    “This is in addition to how the Buhari Presidency has been importing mercenaries from Chad and Niger Republic to vote for President Buhari and to unleash violence in our country upon his eventual defeat”.

    The opposition party spokesman also alerted of plots to manipulate the smart card readers, with the view to substituting biometric accreditation with manual verification and pave way for mass rigging and allocation of fictitious votes for President Buhari.

    “In the light of this, the PDP declares that it will never allow the Buhari Presidency, the APC as well as Amina Zakari to have their way against our nation.

    “The entire world is aware that Nigerians have reached an irrevocable consensus on Atiku Abubakar as the next President of our country. This is why they are rallying with the people’s candidate. We are set for the election and we will resist every attempt to rig us out”, the party added.

  • Elections: Congressman Connolly and the rebirth of racism

    The events leading to Nigeria’s 2019 general elections, the elections themselves and the aftermath of the votes have established several facts.

    First, is the fact that Nigeria and Nigerians are capable of one day creating the country of their dream when free from meddling by the so called world powers. Second, is the fact that racism is alive and kicking; only such depraved racism could make white skinned foreigners adopt the condescending disposition of master and commanders who must validate whatever happens in Nigeria before it is considered acceptable.

    Thirdly, is the fact that the transnational attitude that comes with corruption and money oriented individuals is not limited to Africans or Nigerians but it is a weakness that even westerners regularly succumb to, only that they have perfected how to hide theirs behind the veneer of white supremacy.

    The first fact, the capacity of Nigerians to sort out what ever difficulties they may be facing, is lost on an American – Gerry Connolly, Congressman for Virginia’s 11th District, who spoke about Nigeria with all the arrogance of a plantation owner reviewing events in an outpost that belongs to him.

    Connolly was however creative enough to hide behind an interactive session with his constituents during a visit on Capitol Hill, and it just so happened that they asked him questions about Nigeria and Venezuela in his capacity as a Democratic congressman that happens to be a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

    Connolly, who was of the view that elections are not credible in Nigeria went as far as quipping that “Elections are being stolen in Nigeria”.

    As an irredeemable racist, it did not matter to Connolly that there were scores of international Election Observation Missions from the United Kingdom, his own country – the United States, countries of the European Union, African countries and citizens of the world across the globe.

    These observers, although initially concerned about the prospect of credible elections owing to the distortion from the political propaganda from the opposition, reported that the elections represented the will of Nigerians even though there were recorded pockets of incidents in certain areas.

    Connolly believes his fellow westerners are liars because they did not deliver verdicts that present Nigeria as a Stone Age amalgam of tribal entities at each other’s throats. He created his own account of what transpired in Nigeria and his predictable conclusion was to say “There were a lot of observers who would agree with you that the recent presidential/National Assembly elections were a sham and were not honest and did not produce legitimate results. Are there enough people who care about that to speak out? …We have to do a better job of paying much more attention to Africa… Africa is going to be the continent of the future.”

    Anyone that thinks the Congressman’s utterance is not racist only needs to appreciate the disdain implied in his assertion. Connolly followed in the tradition and practice of illiterates that are blissfully ignorant that Nigeria, although a leader, is one the fifty-four (54) countries in Africa, the US lawmaker’s transition from speaking about Nigeria to generalizing about Africa clearly confirm he does not know the difference between one country and an entire continent.

    This is most unfortunate considering that he is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. One can only wonder what quality of intellectual input he makes to his country’s parliament. Such shallow appreciation of international issues and the right of countries to self-correct will explain why the US Congress often rush the country from one war to the other in the flawed messianic obsession about saving the world. No imperialist nation has ever successfully saved “barbarian” nation from itself, basic history lesson should teach this to Connolly and any other American Congressman interested in aping him.

    Assuming the racist bias of Connolly and others like him have been disposed of, there is the third fact of the growing problem of transaction interventionists that put on altruistic airs.

    Prior to the elections, certain domestic groups in Nigeria had expressed concerns that there are plans by the PDP to precipitate the kind of instability crippling Venezuela in Nigeria. The strategy for achieving this was reported to include recruiting diplomats and foreigners to discredit the outcome of the elections,

    The aspersions being cast on the outcome of the elections by Connolly, in spite of their acceptance by international Election Observation Missions, must therefore not just be condemned but must be acted upon in the most practical way possible.

    One step readily comes to mind is for the Federal Government of Nigeria to file a formal protest against Connolly and any other person that speaks of the elections in such light.

    Any Nigerian who is deceived for a moment to think the likes of Connolly mean well should be afraid. Very afraid. It is not happenstance that Nigeria and Venezuela were mentioned in the same question by his constituents.

    It will be out of place to end this piece without educating Congressman Gerry Connolly. The first lesson is for him to learn from Congressman, William Jefferson, the blow-back from combining business with this man whether in or out of government includes a shameful end to political careers.

    Secondly, Connolly would do better to focus on the divisiveness that is taking over his own country as well as to explore options for mitigating Russia’s interference in his country’s elections as his people go to poll next year.

    Furnard writes from the United States of America.

  • “PDP cajoling foreign nations, observers”

    Northern Discussion Group, (NDG) has accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of institutionalising election rigging, asking them not to cajole foreign nations and international organisations to intervene in the forthcoming coming general elections. The convener of the group, Prof.  Abdullahi Ashafa, at a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, maintained that  there is no issue at hand that is beyond national solutions.

    The convener who said the PDP could not organize free, fair and credible elections for good 16 years, and called on the party to apologize to Nigerians for misgoverning them. According to him, “the 2007 Nigerian Presidential elections was the worst ever in the world as only 13 states results were announced and Obasanjo instructed the INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu to announce the PDP as the winner.”

    Ahsafa, however, urged Nigerians to give President Muhammadu Buhari another mandate to consolidate on his existing achievements of the past four years. While saying that the PDP should not be trusted with power again, he reminded citizens of voting age and those whom have acquired their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) that the forthcoming general election is their destiny.

    “It is a refrendum between the enablers and icons of honesty, accountability,  transparency and inteterity  versus kleptocrats  and those who sees nothing is morally wrong in thievery,” says Ashafa.

     

     

  • PDP supervised obituaries of industries — Oshiomhole

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomole, on Saturday urged Nigerians not to believe the promise of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to create massive jobs.

    Oshiomhole gave the advice in Lagos while addressing the crowd at the party’s presidential campaign rally.

    He said the promise was a calculated ploy by the opposition party to deceive Nigerians and get their votes.

    The party chairman said the PDP had no good record of job creation in all its 16years in power.

    He said that the era of PDP marked the death of many industries in the country, especially in Lagos.

    Oshiomhole said that it was a big irony that the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who supervised the economy at the time as Vice-President when many factories died was promising jobs.

    The party chairman said the opposition party was clueless about job creation.

    According to him, the APC had created many jobs in the last three years and would create more when re-elected.

    “When you go to Oshodi and Isolo, remember the industries in Oshodi and Ikeja? Where are they now?

    “Who supervised the obituaries of these industries? It is the PDP, and who was the Vice-President at that time, Atiku.

    “How can you supervise the liquidation of industries and make promise to create new jobs?

    “Jobs are not created by miracles; by investing in infrastructure, the present government has generated many jobs through construction and multiplier effects.

    “The Next level means more jobs are coming for the people” he said.

    Oshiomhole said that the PDP Vice-Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, did not have the moral authority to speak on jobs.

    He alleged that Obi deals in Made-in -China goods, exporting jobs, saying that was the reason he always quoted figures from China at any gathering.

    Oshiomole said the country did not fare well under the 16years of PDP, which he described as an era characterised by looting and poor leadership.

    He said the Buhari administration had done well to put the country on the right course in the last three and half years.

    Oshiomhole said Buhari was a man of integrity, adding the anti-corruption fight and love for the masses had improved under him.

    “President Buhari is a man of integrity. He is the only president that no British Prime Minister has called a thief.

    “He is the only president that is widely acknowledged to be fighting corruption.

    “This is the only president that the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in London has described as an African leader who stands out to be counted on the side of the people.

    “That is why I am proud and you are proud to be associated with what Buhari is doing and what he stands for, and why the Next level is about you,” he said.

    He said the difference between the APC and PDP was that while the former was about the people the latter was about themselves.

    Oshiomhole said while APC was spending N500billion on the poor, the PDP was complaining the money was too much, as they were used to looting.

    He said the promise by Atiku to give amnesty to treasury looters while leaving petty thieves who steal N10 or N20 should tell anyone that PDP was about class.

    The party chairman said the APC was sure of victory on Feb. 16 and March 2, as it would defeat the PDP “mercilessly”.

    He assured the international community that the party would not be involved in rigging or violence,as it had no record of doing that.

    Oshiomhole said the APC had no reason to rig, as people believed in the party for progress.

    He said Lagos was an example of a working state, which was so because it was under APC.

    The Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said a vote for APC was a vote for infrastructure.

    He said the delivery of Lagos -Abeokuta rail project and others in the country by the APC meant the party was for development.

    The APC governorship candidate in the state, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, urged residents to vote right and for the APC.

    He urged residents to come out en masse and vote for the party for the progress of the state.

    The APC chairman in the state, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, praised the administration of Buhari, saying the state had benefited immensely in terms of projects in the last three and half years.

    NAN reports that APC state governors, ministers, among others were part of the mammoth crowd of party faithful and residents at the rally. (NAN)

  • …PDP hails verdict

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court nullifying the primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for all categories of elections in the state.

    In a statement yesterday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the apex court’s judgment as victory for democracy and the rule of law.

    The statement said: “The party commends the apex court for its courage in delivering the landmark judgment which has saved the nation from a serious constitutional crisis that could have marred the 2019 general elections and detract from our overall electoral system.

    “The judgment of the Supreme Court serves as a huge lesson to politicians and political parties to eschew impunity and always conduct their affairs in a manner that is in tandem with the provision of the law.

    “The courage displayed by the Supreme Court in delivering the judgment at this critical time in our national life has also restored the confidence of Nigerians in the institution of the judiciary and our democratic order.

    “The PDP, however, urges its teeming members across the country to continue to work hard in consolidating on the already established victory of our great party in all elections, beginning with next Saturday’s presidential election”.

  • PDP hails Supreme Court’s ruling on Rivers APC

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court nullifying primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state.

    By implication, the APC chapter in River State will not be fielding candidates in the upcoming general elections. In a statement Friday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the apex court’s judgment as victory for democracy and the rule of law.

    The statement said, “The party commends the apex court for its courage in delivering the landmark judgment, which has saved the nation from a serious constitutional crisis that could have marred the 2019 general elections and detract from our overall electoral system.

    Read Also: PDP protests posting of police chief Egbetokun to Kwara

    “The judgment of the Supreme Court serves as a huge lesson to politicians and political parties, to eschew impunity and always conduct their affairs in a manner that is in tandem with the provision of the law.

    “The courage displayed by the Supreme Court in delivering the judgment at this critical time in our national life has also restored the confidence of Nigerians in the institution of the Judiciary and our democratic order.

    “The PDP however urges its teeming members across the country to continue to work hard in consolidating on the already established victory of our great party in all elections, beginning with next Saturday’s presidential election”.

  • ‘Body bag’: PDP calls for El-Rufai’s arrest

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), Prince Uche Secondus, has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest the Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State.

    The call was made in response to the governor’s threat to foreign election observers and members of the international community that they would be sent back to their countries in body bags if they get involved in the upcoming general elections.

    The governor had, during a live programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Tuesday, threatened that foreign election observers planning to interfere with the polls will leave in Nigeria in body bags.

    But speaking at the party’s presidential campaign ally in Makurdi, the Benue State capital on Friday, the PDP chairman, said that an Atiku Abubakar presidency would put an end to mindless killings in Benue and other states.

    Secondus said, “Yesterday, we went to Katsina, they were killing in eight local governments. That is the President’s home state. The killing is so much in Nigeria.  Poverty and hunger is too much in the land. We will shift the headquarters of poverty to another country. Atiku Abubakar will create jobs for our teeming youths. He has done it before, he will do it again”.

    “We were told that Senator George Akume was inviting military. This is not a military regime, this is democracy. Anyone that sends soldiers to Akume is against democracy. And we will reject such rigged results either in Benue or at the national level. We will never accept any rigged results.

    “You are aware that the Governor of Kaduna State has said that people will be killed and carried in body bags. And we must stand because they cannot kill us. The international community is aware.

    “We call on the Federal Government, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari to set up an inquiry. If he refuses, then the International Criminal Court should arrest El-Rufai immediately for saying that the international community and PDP will be carried in body bags. They are not ready for election. They know that Atiku is winning”.

    The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, assured the people that he would end the security challenges in the state.

     

  • Mass defection hits Akwa Ibom PDP

    The exodus from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’in Akwa Ibom State continued on Thursday with the defection of thousands of its members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibeno and Esit Eket Local Government Areas.

    The PDP lost over 1,500 members in Ibeno and over 2,700 members in Esit Eket during the APC’s campaign rallies in the two local government areas.

    The Ibeno defectors led by Comrade Maurice Okon, a popular youth leader, included some former APC members who said they were returning after being lured to the PDP with fake promises to support Governor Udom Emmanuel for a second term by a former House of Assembly member from the area.

    Receiving the Ibeno defectors, Dr Ita Udosen, the Akwa Ibom State APC Deputy Chairman, assured them of equal rights and privileges with old members of the party.

    Mr Ini Okopido, the APC State Chairman, who received the Esit Eket defectors, said it was clear that Esit Eket has turned completely APC, comparing the thousands of defectors from the PDP to the three APC members that left for PDP last week

    He noted with delight that the defectors included many PDP ward executives and members of the PDP Grassroots Foundation led by Mr Samuel Edet.

    Mr Edet, Prince John Ekpo and Engr Messianic Umana, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, assured the APC state leadership that the PDP had no place in Esit Eket again.

    In his remarks, Obong Nsima Ekere, the APC Governorship Candidate in Akwa Ibom State, said he was convinced that Esit Eket people will vote for all APC candidates in the elections and thanked party leaders in the area for working hard to connect Esit Eket to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.

    He echoed last week’s call by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s to Akwa Ibom people not to play opposition politics again.

    Obong Ekere noted that nearly the entire political class in the state was behind him after abandoning Governor Udom Emmanuel because of his poor performance.

    Read Also: PDP protests posting of police chief Egbetokun to Kwara

    Barr Bassey Dan-Abia, the Esit Eket APC leader, whose nephew and former House of Representatives member for Eket Federal Constituency, Barr Bassey Dan-Abia Jnr, was among the three APC defectors last week, said, contrary to some social media reports, it was the PDP, not the APC, that was suffering mass defection.

    “I assure you that despite the propaganda of massive defection in the social media, as at today, not a single executive member of APC has defected to anywhere. Rather, it is PDP ward executive members that are defecting to APC. In some wards, the entire PDP executive has collapsed into APC because of Obong Nsima Ekere,” he said.

    Barr Dan-Abia, who finished second in the 2018 APC governorship primary, lauded Obong Ekere for reconciling and carrying along his three fellow contestants after the primary.

    He disclosed that there was consensus across party lines in Eket Federal Constituency, where Governor Emmanuel is from, that he should go, having disappointed the people of the four component local government areas of Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno and Onna.

    Barr Bassey Essien, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, said they were supporting Obong Ekere because he had long identified with them in Esit Eket unlike Governor Emmanuel who was never part of them.

    “Udom is going. He was never part of us. He had no friend in this community. You are one of us. You are a friend we have known for years. We will not disappoint you and we are sure you will not disappoint us. We are awaiting your swearing in on your birthday on May 29, 2019,” he said.

    Elder Ibanga Etang, the APC campaign coordinator in Esit Eket, apologized to his people for bringing and selling Governor Emmanuel to them as local government chairman in 2015.

    He promised Obong Ekere a clean sweep of Esit Eket’s over 47,000 votes in the 57 units of the area.

    Mr Eseme Eyiboh, a former House of Representatives member, and Mr Augustus Nkuseyin, the Esit Eket APC chapter chairman, spoke along the same line.

    The rally featured the presentation of flags by the APC State Chairman to Senator Nelson Efiong, Mr Kufre Akpabio and Mr Eyo Inyang-Abia Bassey, the APC Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates, respectively.

  • Atiku no match for Buhari – APC diaspora

    The National Chairman, APC Scandinavia and a member Presidential Campaign Council, Diaspora Directorate, Hon. Ayoola Lawal has said the Presidential Candidate of People Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar is no match for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Ayoola statement is in reaction to PANDEF, AFENIFERE, Ohaneze, NEF endorsement of the PDP Presidential candidate.

    He also said the PDP has been rigging the presidential election since  2003.

    “The question they should be asking themselves is, what is the possibility of winning an election against Buhari, now that they are not in control of the state instruments to perpetuate election rigging?” he said.

    “A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell had revealed in a book co-authored with a former US intelligence expert on Nigeria, Mathew Page, on how Buhari was rigged out in those election years.  He further made it known during an interview on Channels Television`s “Diplomatic Channels” on Monday, October 15, 2018, that he spoke to sources confirmed that those elections were rigged against Buhari in those election years”.

    “The Nigeria former Deputy Senate President, Senator Mantu, who claimed to be a born again, also confessed on Channel television on how he normally perpetuates the crime of election rigging in favour of any candidate sponsored by his party, PDP, when they were in power in the past”.

    “If Nigerian were to be a sane country that President Buhari is making frantic efforts in transforming it into, most of the politicians across board in Nigeria will be in prison by now, especially the PDP former presidents and leaders for their orchestrated crimes of senseless looting of our commonwealth and elections rigging in the nation”.

    “Even the former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who claimed to be a saint elder statesman, is now exposed as not being the person he claimed to be. No matter who endorses Atiku as the next president of Nigeria, Nigerians are now wiser. Atiku, endorsers and his party, PDP, should rest assured that there is no vacancy in Aso-rock at least in 2019-2023”.