The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, on Sunday, warned Nigerians not to fall for the ‘sugar-coated’ promises of the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.
The ruling party PCC also accused the former vice president of launching a desperate bid to clinch power at all costs.
The development is coming barely 24 hours after Atiku pledged to duly grant the indigenes of Abuja all their entitlements and appointments when voted into power.
Atiku, who also promised to guarantee the aspirations of the Abuja people in a reviewed constitution, made the pledge at the PDP presidential rally held in Abuja on Saturday.
But the APC presidential campaign council kicked against Atiku’s proposed development, warned that the opposition flag bearer is striving too hard to deceive the people with empty promises.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Director of Media and Publicity for the APC PCC, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga mocked that a party that should be eternally shameful about its appalling record in governance between 1999 and 2015 is busy attempting to rewrite history and embellish the ‘locust years’ as if it was a golden era in Nigeria’s history
He said, “Of course, this is fake history at its worse. We are not fooled. Nigerians should also not be fooled by the boldfaced lies, being articulated by the candidate and his party.
“We need to warn Nigerians to be wary of the sugar-coated promises of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and his Peoples Democratic Party as they embark on their inordinate and desperate campaign to gain power at all cost.
“What is more shocking is Atiku’s audacity in standing up to ask for our votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote about him in his book, ‘My Watch’. Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unpardonable mistake “and sin against God to foist him on Nigeria”. Obasanjo still believes so till tomorrow.
“Obasanjo still rues till today making Atiku his vice president in 1999, only to discover later, “his shadowy parentage, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest.”
“We are, however, not totally surprised about Atiku’s latest desperation. Aware that this is his last shot at the elusive presidency, Atiku, while on the hustings, has been spewing a series of lies, making empty promises and presenting a false narrative about our present reality and the legacy of the 16-year ignoble era of the PDP administration, of which he was a principal actor.
“He claimed at his rally in Abuja on Saturday that the country is not secure for trading and farming, a false narrative that he has been pushing around for some time, since he relocated to Nigeria from his base in Dubai, principally to contest the election.
“We believe in his private moment that Atiku will concede that his view about insecurity is exaggerated. Our country is certainly better secure than in 2015 when the PDP allowed insurgents to seize 17 local councils in Borno and some four councils in Atiku’s home state of Adamawa State when Abuja was under constant bomb attacks and people slept with eyes wide open.
What further proof of the progress made by the APC does Atiku need than the fact that he was able, recently, to carry his party men and women to Maiduguri to hold a rally, without any attacks by insurgents and bandits? Atiku can also drive smoothly from Yola, his state capital to Jada, his home town on a reconstructed road by the Buhari-led APC administration. The road was impassable for 8 years Atiku was Vice President and got progressively bad and totally cut off from civilisation until the Buhari government reconstructed it.”
