The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign flag-off in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, on Friday as a mockery of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the cold response by the crowd showed how much Nigerians now begrudge him over his failures in governance.

According to a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, Director, Media & Publicity of the campaign organisation in Abuja after the rally, “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 realised that the rented crowd, which refused to carry APC brooms, was not paying attention to him.”

The main opposition party added: “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 factional 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 secure 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 factional 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 fulfillment of her stance not to support him for a second term if he failed in his first tenure.”

The PPCO therefore counseled President Buhari to use his “failed” campaign flag-off to know that no amount of crowd renting, vote-buying and intimidation of opposition can change the resolve of Nigerians to vote him out of office, come February 2019.

•Sourced from a Tribune report

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