PDP: Jonathan Represents Light and Buhari Represents Darkness

Director of Media and Publicity for Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

• Confident of winning back all original states and more
• Committee: President will campaign in North-east

By Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Ahead of its campaign kick-off today in Lagos, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that Nigerians should not vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidental candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, because he represents the forces of darkness, while Preseident Goodluck Jonathan represents light, and that its array of popular candidates, a verifiable record of performance as well as the support of a majority of the voting population, will make it win overwhelmingly in the February general election.

Director of Media and Publicity for Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode said this in Abuja on Wednesday, while PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said: “The PDP stands out as the only party that commands genuine followership among Nigerians irrespective of religious and ethnic affiliations,” adding that this “will drive the voting pattern and reflect accordingly in the results of the presidential, governorship, National and States Assembly elections across the federation.”

“This election is beyond propaganda and empty popularity claims in the social media. Nigerians will vote; their votes will count and this will give us victory. This is because we are running on a record of verifiable achievements of our elected and appointed officers at the federal and state levels.

“Our presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, and our great party have suffered undue criticisms from misguided quarters. The opposition has tried so hard to taint our image. They have made efforts to portray us in bad light. They have insulted, abused and maligned us, but we have refused to be defined by their propaganda and deceit. We and many more innocent Nigerians became victims of bad politics by desperate individuals who promote divisions and violence in their selfish quest for power.

“Nevertheless, our satisfaction is that a majority of Nigerians appreciate our sincerity, our achievements and above all, our commitment in sustaining our democracy and the unity of our dear nation in the face of daunting challenges.”
In highlighting the cardinal areas the PDP has performed and on which the campaign is likely to be based on, the party’s spokesman said the various remarkable performances of “Nigerians appreciate that it is not by chance but through hard work and careful planning that our economy grew to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the largest in Africa.

“It is also to the credit of the PDP-led administration that freedom and personal liberty, essential components of democracy, have been enhanced.

“Today, Nigerians relish all forms of freedom, social justice, and fairness in line with the ideology and manifesto of the PDP.

“Our president has proven to be a meticulous leader whose policies and actions are a product of deep reflection and consultations. He has been able to withstand all kinds of pressures, even in the most challenging circumstances. At the state level, the sterling performance of our governors in transforming their states and delivering democracy dividends to their citizens speaks volume of our party’s covenant with the people and commitment to good governance.

“Indeed the PDP remains the most popular political party in Nigeria commanding the respect and support of the majority of the voting population in all the nooks and crannies of our country.

“In the north, apart from the fact that the PDP is in control of the administration of 12 out of the 19 states in the region, our party commands grassroots support and will win majority of the votes in our original states of Sokoto, Kano, Nasarawa and Kwara. Also with our very strong support base, we are certain of impressive performance in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States where the policies and programmes of the PDP-led Federal Government have directly touched the lives of the ordinary Nigerians.

“In the south, the PDP is in good stead not only to win overwhelmingly in states under our control, but also majority of the votes in our original states of Imo and Rivers where the APC has not been able to match our achievements. This is in addition to Lagos and other South-west states where our popular candidates and as well as positive impact of our policies and programmes on the people speak for us.”

Stating that it remains committed to peaceful and credible elections, the PDP however urged Nigerians to “continue to be alert and resist the antics of the opposition, who plot to instigate violence and truncate the democratic process in the face of crushing defeat”.

The PDP insisted that despite its alleged imperfections, “the alternative does not represent a viable option for the growth and sustenance of democracy as they lack substance in policies and programmes”.

Meanwhile, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) inaugurated Tuesday, resumed work yesterday by declaring that its major assignment is to reveal the true identity of the All Progressive Congress’ (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as a corrupt Nigerian who masquerades himself as an honest man without any blemish.

The PDP campaign outfit also asked Buhari to explain his roles in the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) that he headed during the administration of Gen. Sani Abacha and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Addressing its maiden press conference, the Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign team, Chief Femi Fani Kayode, said: "It is our full intention to expose Gen. Muhammadu Buhari for what he really is, what he stands for and the great danger that his candidacy portends for the unity of the Nigerian state and the peace and well-being of the Nigerian people."

He further said that in the course of their duties, they shall equally let the world know about the sterling performance of "our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, over the last four years and we shall make a strong case and appeal to the Nigerian people to grant him the privilege and opportunity to serve a second term”.

"We believe that we have reached a crossroads in our nation’s history and that the forthcoming presidential election is a battle for the very soul and destiny of Nigeria," he said.

According to the former aviation minister, who described Buhari as representing evil, "We believe that it is a struggle between light and darkness.  We believe that General Buhari represents the darkness and that President Jonathan represents the light.

"We believe that General Buhari represents a return to an ugly past which is best forgotten while President Jonathan represents our hope for a greater and better future.

"We believe that the APC, on which platform General Buhari is contesting the presidential election, represents everything that is unholy and unwholesome in our society and that the PDP represents all that is decent and good."

Fani-Kayode continued: "We believe that the much-vaunted ‘change’ campaign of General Buhari represents nothing but a change from good to evil. If you want a positive change, you cannot expect to get it from a man like General Buhari whose democratic credentials are questionable and whose record in public office is shameful and disastrous.”

The PDP campaign spokesman further said: "We do not believe that Nigeria ought to be run by a man that is not capable of tolerating dissent or by a political party like the APC that has no sense of remorse, restraint or decency and that is not capable of accepting a plurality of views.  We believe that President Goodluck Jonathan has earned the right for a second term and, in the next few weeks we shall make a humble appeal to the Nigerian people to vote for him massively in the February 14 presidential election."

This, he said, shall be made on the altar of decorous campaigns.

On why no corrupt government official has been convicted since the assumption of office of President Jonathan, he said: "The president is not the courts and this administration is not in the habit of convicting people without evidence.

"Though, due  to security challenges, the president did not go to Chibok in Borno State as at the time of the kidnap of the girls, but this time around, President Goodluck Jonathan will go to the North-east and campaign like any other Nigeria."