The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Tuesday’s rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti as a charade and yet another mockery on the party and its rejected governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
The party said the refusal of Ekiti people to attend the rally, leading to APC’s resort to renting crowd from neighbouring states, clearly demonstrates their resolve to have nothing to do with the APC.
Nigerians watched in amusement as even the rented crowd refused to respond to the APC slogan or brandish their brooms, for which Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state openly nagged them for “sleeping” at the rally.
In a highly embarrassing effort to spur the rented crowd, Kogi state governor Yayaha Bello, from whose state a substantial part of the crowd was rented, had to recourse to his native Ebira language in addressing the rally.
Moreover, President Muhammadu Buhari’s attendance worsened the woes of the APC and its candidate, as the President could not boast of any federal project in the state but sought to beguile the people with his usual list of empty promises in his prepared hollow speech.
This is in addition to empty sloganeering by APC leaders at the rally, particularly, its unelected factional National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, whose attempt at political showboating could not help the situation.
It is even reprehensible that the poster boys paraded at the rally included governors, like Bello, who is owing salaries in arrears of two years as a result of which many public servants in Kogi State had recourse to suicide.
Nigerians are therefore at a loss as regards what governors who have failed their respective states had to tell the people of Ekiti State where PDP had made life better.
We are however not surprised at the remarks by the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, who, in sub-conscious sincerity, advised the people of Ekiti state to reject the APC candidate and endorsed the PDP-led administration of Governor Ayo Fayose.
The PDP, therefore, counsels President Buhari to use the visit to learn the art of governance from Governor Fayose instead of his proclivities for divisiveness, harsh economic policies and de-marketing of our nation in the international arena.
Mr. President should go round the state and see for himself, the numerous landmark projects executed by the Fayose-led PDP government, after which he should appropriately advice his party members on their futility of contesting the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti.
Furthermore, the people of Ekiti state have not forgotten how President Buhari and the APC failed to take any action or even offer any soothing words when marauders attacked and murdered innocent citizens in the state earlier in the year.
The APC should, therefore, come to terms with the fact that their lies, propaganda, empty promises and threats cannot, in any way, sway the people of Ekiti state from their iron-cast resolve to rally with the PDP for the continuation of good governance, peace and development in their state.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
