2019 polls: APC campaign flag off mockery of Buhari – PDP

The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state, as a mockery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PPCO also said no amount of vote buying and intimidation of the opposition can help the APC to retain the presidential seat.

The spokesman of the PPCO, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement on Friday that “the cold response” by the crowd showed how much Nigerians now begrudge the President “over his failures” in governance.

The PPCO said Buhari’s claims on security, corruption and economy was nothing to write home about.

“The PPCO says it was a pitiable sight as an embarrassed President Buhari could only slur, failed to articulate any clear reason for seeking re-election and had to cut short his presentation when he realized that the rented crowd, which refused to carry APC brooms, was not paying attention to him.

“More embarrassing was that, apparently miffed by Mr. President’s attempt at yet another false performance claims, the crowd started leaving the venue of the rally at the time he was being handed his party’s flag by his National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, a development that led to a hurried closure of the event.

“Nigerians were alarmed when Mr. President claimed that the nation was secured under his rule, when there are killings and daily bloodletting in various parts of our country; when insurgents who had been pushed to the fringes of the North East by the PDP administration, leading to  the conduct of elections in all the local governments in the country, have under the Buhari administration spread to other states of the north.

“While Mr. President was making his claims, insurgents had taken Baga; there are killings going on in Zamfara and our soldiers and policemen are being killed by terrorists, due to the neglect of his administration.

“Our citizens were further startled when President Buhari claimed that he has achieved food security when in actual fact there is hunger and starvation everywhere. This statement not only confirms the Buhari Presidency’s proclivity for false claim but also shows that Mr. President is completely insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

“President Buhari further embarrassed his office on his claims of commitment towards the war against corruption when he was surrounded at the podium, by individuals who are facing corruption allegations, including the Director General of his Campaign, Rotimi Amaechi, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, his South South Zonal Director, Godswill Akpabio and a host of others.

“Furthermore, Nigerians are invited to note that our First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who was on the side of President Buhari throughout his 2015 campaign conspicuously shunned Mr. President’s 2019 re-election flag off apparently in fulfilment of her stance not to support him for a second term if he failed in his first tenure,” the PPCO said.