The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday reacted to the
endorsement of presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Atiku Abubakar. Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, said this
came after Atiku has tactically avoided speaking on his restructuring
plans during his campaigns.
He noted that with a few members of Ohaneze falling for Atiku’s
antics, it has now become clear that the purported endorsement of
Atiku’s presidential ambition does not enjoy the support of most of the
Igbos.
The spokesman in a statement made available to DAILY POST said: “One
such proofs is the statement by the Anambra State Government’s
dissociating the state from the dubious endorsement of Atiku contained
in the equally disputed communique.
“It would now seem that few people in Ohaneze are trying to
misrepresent the interest of the Ndigbo and we wonder whether these
people are part of Atiku’s friends that he has promised to make rich as a
cardinal policy of his government?
“Many questions beg for answers. Besides the deceitful restructuring
promise, what else do the Igbo stand to gain from an Atiku presidency?
Nothing!
“Could it be that Atiku and the PDP’s restructuring rhetoric is
selective and bespoke for specific audiences? The answer is yes! Atiku’s
restructuring rhetoric is simply a convenient, simplistic and populist
gimmick aimed at whipping up and exploiting perceived sentiments ahead
of the 2019 elections.
“Ndigbo and indeed all Nigerians must be wary of Atiku and his PDP
ilk who in their desperate quest for power are ever ready to play
fraudulent political games and parade themselves as ethnic champions to
the gullible. We must protect the sanctity of our nationhood.
“Atiku has refused to speak on the nature of the restructuring that
he is cashing in on. But little wonder because he is transactional in
nature. Atiku has no plan for this country and he is not pretending
about it. He has said it clearly and on many occasions that he is
seeking power to be able to sell off national assets to make his friends
and himself rich. There is no doubt that Atiku only intends to use and
dump the Igbo people.
“Ndigbo should not forget that it was during the administration of
former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku as vice that Nigeria’s
political history witnessed the frequent manipulated changes to the
Senate Presidency and setting of Igbo brothers against one another for
political gains.
“Without playing to the gallery, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
APC administration has pursued a deliberate policy of probity, inclusive
governance and national spread in the allocation of our national
resources and developmental projects across the country.
“In particular, about 69 verifiable road and bridge projects are
ongoing in the southeast. This is unprecedented in the history of our
nation. Although the contracts for many of the roads were awarded by
past PDP administrations, they were either poorly funded or not funded
at all, hence work on the road and bridge projects were previously
stalled.
“Currently, the roads and bridges, which are spread across the five
states in the South-east, are in different stages of completion, thanks
to the funding sourced by the president Buhari-led APC administration
from budgetary allocations, the Sukuk Bond and the Presidential
Infrastructure Development Fund.
“The APC remains the most sincere political platform working to
ensure better inclusion and mainstreaming of all geo-political zones in
the governance of the country. We have held constructive, purposeful,
country-wide and multi-sectoral conversation on core issues of true
federalism and devolution of powers in line with the Party’s Change
Agenda.
“Ndigbo and indeed all Nigerians must be wary of the machinations of
conmen who now masquerade as ‘messiahs’ in the garb of politicians.
Their antecedents does not synchronise with the image they now purport
which is dangerous. They are latter-day converts on the issue of
restructuring who hitherto occupied public offices and did nothing on
the issues of restructuring.
“They have now regrouped to exploit the issue of restructuring in
furtherance of their selfish political interests. Their sudden silence
on the issue of restructuring is certainly ominous. The Ndigbo should
not fall for this fraud.”