Politics
Honestly, APC is a joke, PDP spokesman, Bwala, pillories ruling party, Tinubu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has responded to the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the aftermath of comments made by Atiku Abubakar over a Northern Presidency.
Daniel Bwala, a spokesman for the PDP Campaign Council, issued this response on Tuesday during an interview on AriseTV.
Atiku, during an Arewa Consultative Forum event in Kaduna, had advised Northerners to reject Yoruba or Ibo candidacy in the 2023 polls.
The PDP flag-bearer, while appealing for support of the Arewa leaders, said: “I have traversed the whole of this country, I think what an average Northerner needs is somebody who is from the North, and who also understand the various parts of Nigeria and who has been able to build bridges across the various parts of the country. This is what the Northerner needs, it doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate, I stand before you as a Pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”
In his response, Bwala slammed the APC for engaging in mindless politicking while neglecting the issues plaguing the country ahead of the 2023 elections.
“Honestly, APC is a joke. Imagine Asiwaju saying he will recruit 50 million Nigerian youths into the army. He further said just be feeding them with cassava and agbado. His natural flow of thought is not in line with the situation at hand,” Bwala noted.
Read also:PDP defends Atiku over alleged tribal statement, accuses APC of nepotism, thuggery
He also accused the ruling party of violence and intimidation after a fracas at the Kaduna rally of the PDP which left some supporters injured.
“What the APC intends to do is by intimidating others in states such as Kano, Lagos and all. We are calling on the international community to ensure thorough investigations — this is deeply troubling.
“See the subliminal jab by Nasir El-Rufai to Peter Obi; it is our right to participate in the political process because they cannot hold Nigeria in bondage because they will do anything to hold to power,” the PDP spokesman explained.
He further revealed that the APC has no chance of winning the elections after Tinubu appealed to Atiku for an endorsement of his candidacy.
Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC had said Atiku should endorse him for the presidency.
Speaking on Monday at an event organised by the Arewa joint committee in Kaduna, Tinubu said he supported the former vice-president when he contested the presidency in 2007.
“I supported Atiku Abubakar in 2007 then. Don’t blame me if I ask for a payback period. It’s payback. Let him endorse me now instead of him conducting rally around Kaduna while I’m talking to you people here.”
However, Bwala said this will not happen and it only shows that the APC are desperate towards clinging to power.
“He knows the only realistic chance of him winning is why he asked Atiku to step down but this will not happen.
“It is only the APC who has cried foul over the comments by Atiku while Asiwaju engaged in ethnic jingoism by saying “Emilokan” “Yoruba lokan.”
“The reason the PDP don’t respond to these issues is because there are issues plaguing the countries.
“Atiku responded to a question asked by the ACF as an Arewa man and how he will entrench the interests of the Arewa community. Atiku needed to distinguish himself from Kwankwaso by saying he is a Pan-Nigerian.
“But because the context is also needed which is why he said you don’t need an Igbo or Yoruba candidate, in order to assure the Arewa community about their interests.”
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