The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the spontaneous and overwhelming acceptance accorded our Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the South East is a manifestation of the trajectory that awaits him in all the geo-political zones across the country.
Coming on the heels of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) description of Atiku and co-travellers as people who have lost any sense of shame, the PDP continues to gloat over the reception by the Igbo leaders.
The APC said further in a statement: “The purported endorsement of Atiku and PDP by some leaders of the south-east for the 2019 general election is an affront to the the Igbo people who were frontline victims of the 16 years of the PDP misrule.
“It will be interesting to know what the PDP will be telling the Igbo people during the campaign. The South East people have three and half years of visible progress in terms of massive infrastructure and the thousands of common people who are benefiting from the social programme investments under APC to compare to the PDP’s 16 years of retrogression.
“We in APC are confident that the Igbo won’t be fooled by any group, by whatever name, to sell a thoroughly discredited party like the PDP to the very discerning Igbo people
However, the PDP says the acceptance demonstrates the settled resolve of Nigerians across board to vote out the incompetent President Muhammadu Buhari administration because of its manifest failures in governance.
It states: “The PDP is aware of how this acceptance has sent jitters to the APC and President Buhari having belied claims that Mr President and the APC were making inroads into the Southeast.
“With the assemblage of all leaders of note in every sector from all the five states of the Southeast receiving our candidate, it is settled that President Buhari and the APC do not have any support in the zone.
“This acceptance could not have been less significant because the Buhari-led APC administration has no achievement, of any sort, in the entire zone.
“The PDP commends the people of the Southeast and Nigerians in general for their courage in collectively resolving to rally with Atiku and our other candidates to rescue our nation from shackles of the Buhari administration and return her to the path of good governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity.”
The South-East leaders in a communique
read on behalf of Ndigbo by Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) stated on Wednesday:
“The Igbo people of Nigeria held a one day non-partisan and inclusive summit, convened by elders, traditional and religious leaders on November 14 2018, to consider Ndigbo’s place in the polity, especially in the light of the forthcoming 2019 elections.
“The summit deliberated on the state on Ndigbo in Nigeria today, especially after years of exclusion from the centre. This country has never been so divided as it is today. We, Igbo, have always yearned for a level playing field with justice, equity and fairness.
“The summit recognised the nomination of His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra state as the vice presidential candidate of the PDP and fully endorse this nomination. It was acknowledged that this nomination puts Ndigbo back to the centre of governance. It is therefore important that Ndigbo should rally behind the Atiku/Obi ticket.
“We identify with Atiku/ Obi ticket on the restructuring agenda as has been reiterated by the four zones of the country, namely South-South, South west, North central and South east. We believe that as long as the federating units remain weak, the centre will continue to be weak. We equally move to appreciate the position of the Atiku/Obi ticket in promoting national unity.
“In conclusion, the summit reiterated that the time is now for Ndigbo to mobilise and organise effectively, realise the Atiku/Obi ticket. We are not campaigning against anybody, we are simply campaigning for our very survival. Igbo votes must count wherever they leave in Nigeria.”