The opposition party, People’s Democratic Party, PDP has told the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu, that his meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan will not help him in the 2023 elections.
In a statement by the party’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, were trying to clean up their past misdeeds against Nigerians, by having a meeting with the former president.
Ologunagba added that Tinubu and the APC vilified the Jonathan administration in the build-up to the 2015 election but are now distancing themselves from the abysmal performance of the Buhari-led administration, arguing that the APC candidate is trying to hoodwink Nigerians, by using photo opportunity with the former president ahead of next year’s election.
He said: “Nigerians are scandalised over the disgraceful and hypocritical attempt by Tinubu and other APC leaders to distance themselves from President Muhammadu Buhari over the abysmal failure of the Buhari-led administration in which they are principal actors.
“Nigerians have not forgotten how Tinubu callously vilified Dr Jonathan, spewed hate against his administration and reportedly funded a near riotous protest, which was inflamed by concocted economic lies, propaganda, and false statistics to discredit the Jonathan-led PDP administration.”
Ologunagba added that “Nigerians can equally recall how Shettima, as governor of Borno State, sabotaged and frustrated Jonathan’s administration in its effort to curb insecurity in Borno.
“What is expected of APC leaders at this moment is to apologise unreservedly to Jonathan, the PDP, and Nigerians for the life-discounting situation they have foisted on our nation in the last seven years. After that, they should quietly quit the stage, take valedictory pictures with terrorists, political thugs and election riggers since they cannot have any space among well-meaning Nigerians,” the PDP said.
AMID the crises rocking the PDP, it is set to unveil its campaign council. And as a prelude to the unveiling of its campaign council, the meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) is being planned to hold next week.
The PDP, in a press conference addressed by Ologunagba, made it clear that all party leaders were concerned about how the party could win the 2023 general elections to enable it to rescue Nigerians from the current socio-economic decay.
Ologunagba stated that issues of insecurity and economic woes ravaging the country are more worrisome.
According to Ologunagba, the task of rescuing Nigeria from the socio-economic decay is a subject that all leaders of the party had agreed on.
He disclosed that in a matter of days, the PDP would announce its national campaign council, which would be comprised of members from all segments of the party.
Ologunagba also said that the defection of many from APC to the opposition party across the country had confirmed the resolve of Nigerians to strengthen the PDP for a change in leadership next year.