It’s
reckless, say ACF, APCON
There
was outrage yesterday over an advertisement placed in some national newspapers
in support of President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign.
The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform the president is contesting,
was under fire over the advertisement placed by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele
Fayose.
The
Nation reports the advertisement titled “Nigerians be warned”, quoted a Bible passage saying “I
have set before thee life and death…”. It has photographs of the late Heads of
State Gen. Murtala Muhammed, Gen. Sani Abacha, the late President Musa
Yar’Adua – all of who died in office and the photo of Gen Buhari, “age 72 from
NorthWest again”. “Will you allow history to repeat itself? Enough of
state burials. Nigerians vote wisely. Vote Goodluck Jonathan. Northern
presidency should wait till 2019,” it said.
The
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the advertisement as “reckless”,
adding that PDP leaders have turned themselves to god.
President
of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the advertising
regulatory body in Nigeria, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, described the advertisement as
“unconventional, shocking and controversial”.
Gen.
Buhari, on his tweeter handle thisIsBuhari, said: “How can his (Jonathan’s)
campaign be talking about dead ex-leaders, jogging around the stadium and
outright lies about my health?”
The
All Progressives Congress (APC) described the advertisement as “choosing death
for our candidate”.
The
party accused the PDP of threatening Gen. Buhari’s life and paying lip service
to the Abuja accord signed last week by the parties to ensure a violence-free
election.
The
Director of Media and Publicity of the Buhari campaign, Mallam Garba Shehu,
said in a statement that “the PDP and its surrogates should be held responsible
if anything happens to Gen. Buhari, before, during and after the elections”.
The
APC Presidential Campaign Organization advised President Jonathan and the PDP
leadership to take charge of their campaign before their surrogates plunge
Nigeria into confusion and anarchy.
It
urged all APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari across the
country to remain calm and not play into the hands of the PDP hatchet men to be
provoked and thereby, giving them the much-needed excuse to abort this
democracy before or after the elections.
Shehu
said: ”This is the height of desperate tactics by the PDP, which is
capable of degenerating into unnecessary bloodshed and destruction. They are
choosing death for us. This is not politics. We are, therefore, asking our
supporters to stay calm and be law-abiding.”
“Even
as a candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has a duty to lead the country with
responsibility up until May 29, when a new President will be inaugurated,” he
said, adding that the on-going campaign on Gen. Buhari’s health, using forged
medical reports, and now suggestions of death are reeking of plots to eliminate
him (Buhari) before or after he wins.
The
Organisation added that “the world is watching and that if anything happens to
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari before, during or after the elections, under the pretext
of X, Y or Z, we shall be left with no option than to conclude that the PDP and
their surrogates are to be held accountable”.
“All
APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari across the country should
not play into the hands of the PDP hatchet men to be provoked and thereby,
giving them the much-needed excuse to abort this democracy before or after the
elections.”
The
APC stressed that it is committed to the peace accord signed by political
parties under the supervision of the former Secretary General of the United
Nations, Dr. Kofi Annan and the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth,
Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
It
asked the police, the SSS, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
and the advertising regulatory agency in Nigeria (APCON) to do their jobs by
not allowing these dangerous threats to democracy go unchecked.
“Once
again, the APC campaign advises all its supporters to strive to stay above the
‘rofo-rofo’, which
is clearly designed to provoke our supporters to help the PDP’s sinister agenda
to abort this hard fought for democracy in view of their impending defeat in
the forthcoming general elections,” Shehu said.
The
APC Campaign said petitions were being sent to APCON, INEC, DSS, the Police and
concerned newspapers involved “to protest this malicious death wish”.
Also
yesterday, Baraje, a one-time national chair of the PDP, now a member of the
campaign council of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organization, condemned in
strong terms and in its entirety the advertisement.
He
described it as “high sense of irresponsibility and an insensible act.”
Baraje
said the advertisement was “not only reckless, uncalled for, but a type that
can cause anarchy and crisis in the country.”
He
expressed surprise that the publication by Fayose came a few days after
President Jonathan, Gen Buhari and other presidential candidates signed a
non-violence agreement for peaceful elections next month.
Baraje
said: “There is a limit to the tolerance of well-meaningful Nigerians to such
inflammatory statements such as that of Governor Fayose. This shows the extent
of the desperation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.”
He
drew the attention of Nigerians and INEC to the inciting statement credited to
Fayose, asking them to call the governor to order.
Baraje
said: “Such a statement apart from having the tendency to cause anarchy and
acrimony, the PDP seems to be preparing grounds for violence a few days to the
general elections
“Fayose
should not dare God by asking Nigerians to chose between life and death which
made him to refer to General Buhari, the APC presidential candidate in a news
and pictorial advertisement sponsored in front page of a national daily as a
dead man due to his age.
”With
the statement credited to the Ekiti State Governor and the statement by the PDP
Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu that the PDP is a party of injustice and a party
that lacks equity where monkey dey work baboon dey chop, the present
leaders of the APC have been vindicated by their move to leave the PDP enmasse
and defect to the APC.”
He
warned the leadership of the PDP against bringing such injustice to the nation.
“Nigerians
should be patient and not take the laws into their hands because the ruling
party (PDP) is already jittery about the impending outcome of the forthcoming
elections which is already favouring the APC considering the massive support
the APC has been receiving from all campaigns they have embarked upon,” he
cautioned.
Baraje
drew the attention of the Inspector-General of Police, the INEC Chairman, DSS
and other security agencies to the inflammatory statements originating from the
PDP and its candidates, particularly Governor Fayose.
He urged the security
agencies to “do something urgently so as not to cause crisis in the country.”
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