The All Progressives Congress on Wednesday continued its
war of words with the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic
Party over the suitability of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for the
presidential election.
While
the APC believes that fielding Jonathan as a candidate would be
suicidal for any party, the Presidency and the PDP argued that he remains
the best to contest and win a presidential poll in the country at present.
The
latest war of attrition was spurred by Tuesday’s
invitation to the President by the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief
Bisi Akande, to join the newly formed political party if he was fed up with the
crises in the PDP.
Akande
had said, “We (the APC) don’t even close our door to the PDP. If Jonathan
is tired of the crises in the PDP, he is welcome in the APC.”
The
Presidency however reacted immediately to the invitation,
saying it was an acknowledgment by the APC of
Jonathan’s sterling leadership qualities.
But
in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, the Interim
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it
was bad that the Presidency did not read the statement
credited to Akande before reacting.
According
to him, the invitation was not a compliment.
Mohammed
said, “When we say the man (Jonathan) should come and join us, we mean that he
should come and see how to run a crisis- free party.
“But
unfortunately, his handlers like himself, are unable to read between the lines.
“Fielding
President Jonathan will be disastrous and it would amount to political suicide.
The PDP itself also knows that it would be a double jeopardy if it fields the
President in 2015.
“This
is because, having lost the moral ground to face the electorate in 2015, the
performance of the President since the past years is even appalling.”
But
the Presidency on Wednesday reiterated its position that the
APC’s invitation of Jonathan was an indication of his national
acceptance.
The
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, told
one of correspondents that the Presidency viewed the invitation as a
compliment.
Abati
insisted that the invitation had shown clearly that the
leaders of the APC were also aware of the fact that Jonathan was the best
man for the job at present.
He,
however, ruled out the possibility of Jonathan joining the APC because
“he is happy where he is.”
The
presidential spokesman said some people formed the new
party only to realise that they had no credible
candidate for the position of the President.
Abati
said, “I think it (the APC’s invitation) is a compliment. What Chief Akande has
said in essence is that President Jonathan is the best man for the job.
“They
formed a party only to realise they don’t have a candidate. We thank him for
his acknowledgment of the President’s leadership qualities, but he (the
President) is happy where he is.
“We
thank Chief Akande for his expression of confidence in President Jonathan’s
credibility but the President is happy where he is, as a member and leader of
the PDP to which he remains loyal, and under the umbrella of which he is
leading a transformation agenda for the betterment of the lives of
Nigerians.”
Also,
the PDP hit back at the opposition for asking the President to join
it, saying by so doing, it had admitted that it had no
presidential material in its fold.
The
PDP said the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party just a few days
after its registration was an indication that it “is a party of
desperate power mongers whose only aim is to satisfy their egocentric
interests.”
A
statement by the PDP Acting National Publicity
Secretary, Mr. Tony Okeke, said the APC had confirmed to Nigerians that
it did not believe in the leadership abilities of its prominent leaders,
Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
It
said the call had shown the opposition as a clueless party in dire
need of leadership and ideology .
The
statement read in part, “By calling on President Jonathan to
join it, the APC has shown that it has no confidence in the leadership
abilities of its prominent leaders such as Buhari and Tinubu.
“The
party has looked inward and has realised the bitter truth that none of those in
its fold has the required credentials, charisma and competence to be President,
hence, they have been seeking to poach from the PDP.
“The
APC has clearly vindicated the PDP by openly showing that it is a confused and
clueless party, lacking in ideology and in dire need of leadership. It is only
a gathering of confused persons that will at one moment falsely condemn
somebody as inept and incompetent and the next moment beg the same person to
come and join them.
“Also
of particular interest is the statement credited to Buhari who was
reported to have said that the APC will push out the PDP in 2015.
“Buhari
as a respected military leader should be reminded that in a democracy, the
power to vote out a party lies only with the people. He has on many occasions
been rejected by the people at the polls and he and his new party will still
witness another round of such verdict in 2015.”
Source: Punch
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