The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the reason President Muhammadu Buhari is not in a hurry to declare for re-election in 2019 was because of his growing unpopularity.
The party said the blame of imaginary opponents by President Buhari’s media adviser, Femi Adesina, was a confirmation that the president was jittery and afraid of what will become his fate if he seeks re-election.
PDP in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan therefore, advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) to perish the thought of presenting Buhari as candidate in 2019 because Nigerians would reject him.
“If President Buhari had done well in office; if his government had not wrecked our economy; if his government had not damaged our national unity, resulting in the daily blood-letting in our country; if his administration had not betrayed the people and failed in delivering even the littlest of his campaign promises, President Buhari would not be afraid of any opponent ahead of elections as stated by his media aide,” the statement added.
The party stated that the president already knew that he has failed, adding that was why he is no longer confident whenever it comes to issues of 2019 general elections.
It added that Adesina statement only confirmed that the president’s apprehensions because he failed Nigerians.
PDP said President Buhari would not have bordered about opponents if he had done well in office, adding that the APC and the presidency should end their current attempts to use paid fifth columnists in their failed bid to cause disharmony within the repositioned and rebranded PDP.
“It is instructive to note that the Presidency’s comment is coming after the intimidating PDP mega rally in Dutse, Jigawa state, which sent a
clear signal to President Buhari and the APC.
“From Mr. Adesina’s comment, it is clear that the president is fully aware that he has become grossly unpopular and cannot command any electoral value.
LBoth the president and his party must therefore
instruct themselves appropriately and completely bury the thought of staying in office beyond May 2019.
“We therefore advice the presidency and the APC to jettison any plot to force its way using intimidation, coercion and manipulations as such would be firmly resisted by Nigerians.
“In the same vein, we charge the APC and the president to note that its resort to sponsoring fifth columnists on smear campaigns against our
repositioned and reinvigorated party has become of no effect as our members and supporters in all the states and the six geo-political zones across the nation are now, more than ever before, firmly united under the new leadership of the party to vanquish the APC in the 2019 general
elections.
“Finally, the re-positioned PDP re-assures Nigerians of level playing ground and open political space in all processes leading to the selection of candidates at all levels to ensure that the nation gets the
leadership it desires and ultimately return to the path of national unity and prosperity,” it added.
.newtelegraph