By Gideon Njoku
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of committing sacrilege. The Party, also, accused them of ridiculing God and brazenly insulting the Christian Faith.
Trouble began when Tinubu, against protestations by Christians, especially, chose Senator Kashim Shettima, a former Governor of Borno State, and fellow Muslim, as his running mate in the 2023 Presidential election. Not a few people were against a Muslim-Muslim ticket in any of the Political Parties.
To douse the tension and give the impression that the choice of Shettima was not objectionable to all Christians, Tinubu and the APC walked into a mess.
A couple of days ago when Tinubu unveiled Shettima as his running mate, a number of queer and awkward looking men and women, adorned in the robes of Christian Priests, appeared at the venue in support of the ticket. It was, however, discovered that they were fakes who were hired for a fee to act the part. They were immediately disowned by the Leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, as unknown to the Christian body.
A number of them were identified by those who know them as artisans dressed in the robes of Priests. The woman among them, who claimed to be a Bishop, is an Igbo woman, identified as a teacher at Lily International School, Akoka, Lagos. Since the incident, described as scandalous and the height of deceit, Tinubu and the APC have come under fire.
Tinubu’s camp offered a not-too-strong defence. It said the “Priests” were not fake, but of very low cadre.
Like many shocked Nigerians, the opposition PDP has weighed in. In a strongly-worded address to the Press on Friday, the Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, accused the both Tinubu and APC of unforgivable blasphemy. It listed some of the other controversies dogging Tinubu and asked him to, in the circumstances, take the least honorable step and withdraw from contesting the 2023 Presidential race.
Following is the full text of the Press Conference where the Party, also touched on the Osun State Governorship election where its candidate, Ademola Adeleke beat the incumbent Governor of the State, Gboyega Oyetola, APC, to coast to victory. He won 17 out of the State’s 30 Local Government Areas to Oyetola’s 13.
Osun Election/Fake Bishops PDP to Tinubu: Withdraw from Presidential Race Now
“Gentlemen of the Press,
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is appalled by the nauseating, blasphemous and unpardonable act by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in hiring street artisans, fraudsters and touts and criminally dressing them in bishop’s vestments to orchestrate an endorsement for its collapsing Presidential campaign.
“The PDP, in the strongest term, condemns this profane and highly provocative act of desperation by the sinking APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the face of APC’s collapsing leadership, membership and followership structure across the country.
“Nigerians were sickened by videos and pictorial evidence of known mechanics, bus conductors and fraudsters sacrilegiously being dressed in fake bishop vestments and paid to endorse the unveiling of Asiwaju Tinubu’s widely rejected running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima.
“Such action is unacceptable and unbecoming of any individual aspiring to a leadership position at any level let alone, the office of the President. This is an embarrassment to leadership.
“With this scandalous act, Asiwaju Tinubu, who is still battling with issues of alleged perjury, non-existent certificate and allegations of extortions has become more ethically challenged and lost all moral standing to seek election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“More sickening is the outcry by the hirelings that they were defrauded by agents of the APC Presidential candidate, who paid them sums ranging from N30,000 to N40,000 as against the N100,000 they were earlier promised.
“It is therefore ludicrous that instead of being remorseful and asking for forgiveness, the APC Presidential Campaign is shamelessly posting lame denials and excuses in the face of hard and verified evidence of its involvement in the shameless venture.
“Our Party is not surprised by the attitude of the APC Presidential Campaign. Such is consistent with the character and DNA of the APC, which was never a political party but a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) hurriedly put together by conflicting bed-fellows and inchoate sailors clobbered together for remote personal gain and whose only interest is to defraud Nigerians through falsehood, lies, deceit, bribery, Temporary Loyalty Purchase, corruption of established institutions and violation of set rules without regards to the feelings, sensibilities and wellbeing of Nigerians.
“With this ugly episode, Nigerians now know the individual who has been the planner and executor of the lies, false promises and corruption of the APC that have brought disunity, excruciating hardship, mass killings and political instability in the country in the last seven years.
“Under the corrupt and deceptive government Asiwaju confessed to have helped to install, our productive sector has been completely wrecked; the over $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) with a naira value of N167 to the Dollar handed over by the PDP has been brought to its knees with the naira now crawling at N665 to a Dollar today.
“Under Asiwaju’s APC government, Nigeria’s debt stock has astronomically risen from N12 trillion under the PDP to N41.6 trillion with our nation going broke as Debt Servicing cost has now surpassed Government revenue with over N300 billion.
“Today, millions on businesses have been shut down due to harsh economic policies and high cost of fuel; unemployment has risen to over 35%, cost of food items, medication and essential services have skyrocketed beyond reach as over 90 million Nigerians are no longer able to afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life. What a tragedy!
“It is now crystal clear to Nigerians why the people of Asiwaju’s ancestral State of Osun and the South West geo-political zone which ought to be his natural stronghold outrighly rejected him and his APC in the July 16, 2022 Governorship election in Osun the State.
“PDP’s sweeping victory and the spontaneous jubilation across our country are direct statements by Nigerians on their resolve to stand on the platform of the PDP to free themselves from the agonizing stranglehold of the lying, cruel and life-discounting APC and its Presidential Candidate.
“Furthermore, Asiwaju Tibunu’s humiliating rejection in Abuja, where he had reportedly rushed to in a desperate bid to frustrate the smooth conclusion of the Osun State Governorship election is a clear testimonial that the APC Presidential Candidate has been roundly deflated.
“Our Party is privy to reports of how doors were locked against APC leaders in Abuja and how their frantic telephone calls and corrupt offers to truncate the Osun election were turned down.
“The APC Presidential candidate can recall that our Party had in a statement on June 8, 2022, cautioned him that he will soon realize that Nigeria is not one of his acquired estates or fiefdoms and that Nigerians are not his political string-puppets and retinue of lackeys, from whom he bought the APC Presidential ticket.
“Now that the APC Presidential candidate has lost the basic required leadership integrity and having been exposed and roundly rejected in his ancestral home State of Osun, the South West and across the country; our Party counsels him to immediately withdraw from the 2023 Presidential race to avoid further disgrace.
“Nigerians cannot afford to have fraudsters, liars, deceivers, perjurers, swindlers and corrupt individuals at the helm of affairs in our country. Such individuals can only superintend over a deceptive, fraudulent and duplicitous administration and worsen the woes faced by our nation under the current inhumane and rudderless APC administration.
“The APC Presidential candidate and his party should know that it is in his own interest to withdraw from the race as it will be futile to go into an election in which the Will and aspiration of the people are manifestly against him and the APC.
“Asiwaju has no political fighting chance in the face of the soaring popularity of PDP’s very competent, candid, transparent, people-oriented and much more prepared Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar at the poll.
“The PDP is poised for a winning campaign and as always, our Party is open to suggestions and further collaborations with well-meaning Nigerians as we collectively march to liberate our nation in the 2023 general elections.”
The Presidential election comes up in February, 2023.
