TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that it is committed to issue-based campaigns contrary to the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) allegation that the ruling party is two-faced and flouts its own rule of staying committed to issues in the 2015 presidential campaigns.

The APC had described the PDP as a two-faced bumbling party for accusing its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, of being responsible for insurgency in the country, but PDP has now claimed that even Buhari is involved in the business of launching personal attacks at President Goodluck Jonathan.

Reacting to the statement, PDP said it remained on the moral high ground compared to the APC, as far as its commitment to issue-based campaigns was concerned.

Speaking through Olisa Metuh, its national publicity secretary, the party dismissed APC’s claim that the description of Buhari as “semi-literate jackboot” by Wale Oladipo, PDP national secretary, amounted to reneging on the commitment.

“We have also taken up the responsibility of drawing the attention of Nigerians to the obvious cases of incompetence and failings of the APC and those who aspire to the leadership of our nation through that platform,” Metuh said.

“There has never been any instance that we have maliciously attacked the characters of those on the presidential ticket of the APC; rather, we have been alive to our responsibility of offering public service so that Nigerians will not be deceived.

“The particular statement by Oladipo, referred to by the APC, which we even consider as complimentary, does not in any way compare with the many instances of vicious, malicious and provocative attacks on the person and office of our presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, after we made the commitment to engage in a decent campaign.

“It is on record that a few days after the commitment alluded to by the APC, Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, attacked the person of President Jonathan, describing him as an ‘incompetent commander-in-chief.’ No personal attack could be more vicious and unconscionable.

“Similarly, the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has consistently prosecuted a hate campaign against President Jonathan, describing him as ‘an enemy of Rivers people.’ I ask the APC and my friend, Lai Mohammed, if this destructive campaign sounds like a love song to him?

“Also, the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, at the church event to mark the 60th birthday of APC deputy national chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, in Ifaki-Ekiti, attacked the person of President Jonathan describing him as ‘a misfit’ for the presidency of the nation.”

He also flayed Lai Mohammed, saying: “For him to declare to the world that President Jonathan was responsible for the killings of Nigerians by Boko Haram insurgents, when he knows those whose utterances and clandestine activities fuel the insurgency, smacks of political mischief.”

“To worsen the entire matter, the APC presidential candidate himself, Muhammadu Buhari, is complicit in the propagation of personal attack over and above issues. It was insulting for Buhari to say, as he did in Sokoto last Sunday, that ‘no right-thinking Nigerian will vote for Jonathan.’ Is this the APC’s understanding of an issue-based campaign?

Metuh pointed out that Jonathan had never, since he became the presidential candidate of the PDP, attacked Buhari in any way.

“In his declaration speech and acceptance speech after he was nominated as presidential candidate of our party, there was nowhere in the speeches or speeches made on subsequent occasions in which he attacked the person of Buhari,” he added.

“We would like to state that, in furtherance of their deliberate and calculated attacks on President Jonathan, the APC has been using fronts and sponsored agents in the media and social media to make caricatures of President Jonathan.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we want to assure the APC that we remain committed to issues-based campaign as this will give us a clear head-start over them. We will campaign on our record of verifiable achievements; we will campaign on the fact that Nigeria can never go back to the past; we will campaign on issues and ideas built around our continuing agenda to transform our nation going into the future.

“Nevertheless, we are fully prepared, ready, willing and able to defend all personal attacks on the President and the leadership of our great party.”