The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was doomed with the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as its only presidential candidate.
The major opposition party said with Buhari “who has become grossly unpopular among Nigerians,” APC was “now irredeemably doomed for a crushing defeat in the 2019 general elections.”
The party pointed out that “President Buhari’s fear to contest an elective presidential primary, for which he and a few APC leaders scared away other presidential contestants within their party with threats and high nomination form fees, ended up ruining APC’s chance of fielding a good candidate for the election.”
The statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said: “Had President Buhari shed his desperation for power and allowed for internal democracy within the APC, particularly when it became clear that Nigerians across board have become averse to his re-election, due to his incompetence and insensitivity to the plight of the citizens, there would have been little hope for the APC.
“In muzzling contest in APC and gleefully emerging a sole candidate, President Buhari has merely won a pyrrhic victory; a General without a troop, with no capacity to face a general election, as the army of stakeholders and the masses that supported him in 2015 have since left him because of his unfulfilled promises and many failures in governance.
“Now that Mr. President has confirmed by his body language that he had no chance in a party he leads, how then can he stand a chance in the general elections where millions of Nigerians, who are suffering untold hardship because of his misrule are only waiting to deal him a blow with their votes?
“Owing to Buhari’s incompetence, Nigerians’ purchasing power has become abysmally low, industries have wound up with attendant mass job losses, foreign direct investments have hit all time low, international partners have totally lost confidence in doing business with our compatriots, while this administration has no economic blueprint except borrowing.
“Since President Buhari’s declaration to contest the 2019 election, true democrats and other well-meaning citizens have continued to leave the APC in droves to the repositioned PDP, which has now become the rallying platform for all Nigerians, in their collective quest for a new President among the array of very credible aspirants in the PDP.
“Moreover, while it is settled that President Buhari is no match to any of our presidential aspirants, all indices points to his imminent defeat as PDP remains committed to a credible, free, fair and transparent Presidential primary, where Nigerians will freely participate to throw up that President that will lead our nation to the path of unity, peace, good governance and economic prosperity for our people.”
