By Emmanuel Mogbede
#TrackNigeria: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the recent endorsement of Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the forthcoming election, by Ohaneze Ndigbo is dubious and misleading.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, stated this on Friday in Abuja at a news briefing while reacting to the development, which he said was a misrepresentation of the interest of the Ndigbo.
Issa-Onilu, however, said that the purported endorsement may have been done by Atiku’s friends whom he had publicly promised to make rich if he became the country’s president.
He advised the Ndigbo to beware of PDP and Atiku’s restructuring deceit.
“We find it curious that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Abubakar Atiku, has tactically avoided speaking on his touted restructuring plans during his campaigns.
“Our observation comes against the backdrop of the now disputed communique issued by some members of Ohaneze Ndigbo on the forthcoming general elections.
“With a few members of Ohaneze falling for Atiku’s antics, it has now become clear that the purported endorsement of Atiku’s presidential ambition does not enjoy the support of most of the Igbos.
“One of such proofs is the statement by the Anambra Government dissociating the state from the dubious endorsement of Atiku contained in the equally disputed communique,”he said.
The APC Spokesman also said that with the development, it was obvious that few people in Ohaneze were trying to misrepresent the interest of the Ndigbo.
He wondered whether these people were part of Atiku’s friends whom he promised to make rich if he became the country’s next president.
Issa-Onilu added that besides Atiku’s deceitful restructuring promise, the Igbo people had nothing else to gain from his presidency.
He further said that under the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration, 69 verifiable projects in the South-East had been commissioned, saying that while some were on-going, others had been completed.
Issa-Onilu said the situation would only get better under an APC- led administration.
“About 69 verifiable road and bridge projects are on-going in the South-East, this is unprecedented in the history of our nation.
“Although the contracts for many of the roads were awarded by past PDP administrations, they were either poorly funded or not funded at all, hence work on the road and bridge projects were previously stalled.
“Currently, the roads and bridges, which are spread across the five states in the South-East are in different stages of completion.
“Thanks to the funding sourced by the President Buhari-led APC administration from budgetary allocations, the SUKUK Bond and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund,”he said.
Issa-Onilu said the APC administration remained the most sincere political platform working to ensure better inclusion and mainstreaming of all geo-political zones in the governance of the country.
He said the administration had held constructive, purposeful, country-wide and multi-sectoral conversation on core issues of true federalism and devolution of powers in line with the party’s change agenda.
He advised that Ndigbo and indeed all Nigerians must be wary of the machinations of conmen who now masquerade as messiahs in the garb of politicians.
According to him, the antecedents of such politicians do not synchronise with the image they now purport which he said was dangerous.
“They are later-day converts on the issue of restructuring who hitherto occupied public offices and did nothing on the issues of restructuring,”he said.
The APC spokesman added that such politicians had now regrouped to exploit the issue of restructuring in furtherance of their selfish political interests.
He added that their sudden silence on the issue of restructuring was certainly ominous, saying that Indigbo should not fall for their fraud.
Issa-Onilu noted that Atiku’s restructuring rhetoric:”is simply a convenient, simplistic and populist gimmick aimed at whipping up and exploiting perceived sentiments ahead of the general elections”.
He said Atiku and the PDP in their desperate quest for power were ever ready to play fraudulent political games and parade themselves as ethnic champions to the gullible.
The APC spokesman maintained that we must protect the sanctity of our nationhood.
“Atiku has refused to speak on the nature of the restructuring that he is cashing in on, but little wonder because he is transactional in nature.
“Atiku has no plan for this country and he is not pretending about it.
“He has said it clearly on many occasions that he is seeking for power to be able to sell off national assets to make his friends and himself rich.
“There is no doubt that Atiku only intends to use and dump the Igbo people,” Issa-Onilu said.
He maintained that the President Buhari-led APC administration had pursued a deliberate policy of probity, inclusive governance and national spread.
This,he said, was especially in the allocation of our national resources and developmental projects across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ohaneze Ndigbo,an Igbo socio-political group, endorsed Abubakar Atiku as the PDP presidential candidate on Thursday.
Abubakar, a former vice president, has as his running mate, Peter Obi, who is a former governor of Anambra.
The President General of Ohaneze, John Nwodo, announced the endorsement in a statement, saying the Ime Obi which is the highest decision making council of the group took the decision in Enugu after its meeting.
He said the Ime Obi took the decision after a critical and dispassionate appraisal of the issues and the visible fault lines in the polity.
This, he said, included the analysis of the election manifestos of the various contesting parties, especially with regards to the restructuring of the federation and continued relevance of the people of the South-East in the Nigerian geopolitical space.(NAN)
