The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday said that the personal attacks by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as well as other officials of the Buhari-led Presidency, against the character of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, were signs of defeat.
The party spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said that with the successful conduct of its presidential primary and the “popular emergence” of Atiku Abubakar, Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had become “intimidated; gone into panic mode and ignobly resorted to trading on rumour and spurious allegations, having failed in their evil machination to scuttle our presidential primary ab initio.”
“The PDP is aware of how the unnerved and intimidated Buhari Presidency has unleashed its officials, spin doctors and hack writers with billions of naira, siphoned from our national treasury, to fabricate lies, spurious allegations and smear campaign against our presidential candidate”, the major opposition party stated.
“While it is understandable that President Muhammadu Buhari is discomfited and afraid to face a popular candidate in any election due to his incompetence, for which Nigerians earnestly seek his replacement, engaging in smear campaign as a means of survival, is completely reprehensible and cowardly.
“President Buhari and the APC, in their desperation, should not attempt to confuse personal economic prosperity that comes from hardwork, as in the case of Atiku Abubakar, with corrupt enrichment. That President Buhari failed in leading a successful personal economic life does not mean that others cannot succeed without being corrupt.”
PDP further stated that unlike President Buhari, who had failed in managing both private and public enterprises, who also confessed his failure to successfully manage his own farm and has made no personal contribution to national development, Atiku was internationally known as a “hard working, resourceful, versatile and successful private entrepreneur, a vast employer of labour; an ingenious citizen”, who had made immeasurable contribution to national development both in public and private lives. – Thisday.
