The All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of violating the non-violence pact, signed by him and other presidential candidates in Abuja on Jan. 14th 2015, by acceding to the incendiary, insensitive, reckless and provocative death-wish-for-Buhari advert sponsored in his name by the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, on Monday.
”But for our party’s ceaseless enlightenment of our members and supporters to shun violence of any kind even when provoked, and the peaceful disposition of the APC as a party, one can only imagine what could have happened in the wake of this demonic advert, laced with ethnic put down and a morally-repugnant death wish for a fellow being,” the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.
”We are therefore calling on all those who witnessed the signing of the pact, especially former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, to take note of this very serious breach of the agreement and urgently call President Jonathan and his party to order.
”We are also calling on all Nigerians, as well as security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) to take note of the political desperation of the PDP and its supporters, while warning that we will hold President Jonathan and his party responsible if anything untoward should happen to the APC Presidential Candidate,” it said.
APC said for the avoidance of doubt, the unprecedentedly-provocative advert was not the first time that the President and his supporters have broken the Abuja Peace Accord.
President Jonathan and Gen Buhari at the non-violence pact, in Abuja on Jan. 14th 2015
”Two days after the pact was signed, our party’s office at Ngo community in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers was bombed, the second of such incident in the state, by PDP thugs. Then our party members were attacked severally in Sokoto by PDP thugs aided and abetted by the police, while the PDP Governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Yero, has been inciting violence against the opposition in his state,” the party said.'
It said the fact that the perpetrators of those incidents got away with their actions without any censure from the President emboldened another die-hard supporter of the President to throw caution to the wind and embark on a course of action that has now exposed, for the world to see, the level of desperation by the President and his party ahead of next month’s polls..
”Never in the history of our nation has there been a more egregious act of desperation by a politician who would wish death to his opponent, with the action aided and abetted by otherwise respectable media organizations that chose to put financial consideration over professional ethics, morality and even national unity,” APC said.
The party urged the media, which has always been in the forefront of the fight for democracy in Nigeria, to exercise the utmost restraint at this difficult period, calling its attention to the inciting role played by the hate radio, called Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLMC), in the Rwandan genocide in 1993.
It said President Jonathan, who has been saying his political ambition is not worth the blood of anyone, could have had the blood of many Nigerians on his hands had the APC supporters not been peaceful and cool in the face of this egregious act of provocation.
”When we saw the advert on the front page in certain papers, we were taken aback not because we had any grand expectation of civil conduct from the indecorous and immoral Gov. Fayose, but because no one could have imagined that PDP’s desperation would descend to the level of publicly expressing death wish for political opponents.
”That this is coming from the Governor of a State is appalling and highly distasteful. No doubt Gov. Fayose is the poster boy for what the PDP stands for: insensitivity, desperation and deception. Otherwise, how could any well-bred person, whether or not he is a state Governor, attempt to incite a whole section of the country against another in such brazen manner?
”PDP can choose to disrespect Nigerians, old, young and even past leaders. It has the prerogative to determine what issues are important to it and how it intends to run its campaign. But for us, this election is about security, employment for our youths, war against corruption, a buoyant economy and shared prosperity for Nigerians.
We will not shift focus from these issues that affect Nigerians. We will continue to spread the message of hope to our people,” APC said.
The party thanked Nigerians for their collective condemnation of such abominable publication, adding: ”Nigerians have shown that despite their different political affiliation, religion and ethnicity, they are humane and reasonable people who cannot be set against themselves by the trivial-mindedness of some desperate politicians.
”While appealing to all our members to remain peaceful, we must continue to stay focused on our common goal which is to have a Nigeria that works. We must resist the ploy to instigate violence in order to force a postponement of next month’s election, which is the grand plan of the PDP and its supporters.
”To those who are incredulous and affronted by the acts of desperation by the PDP, we say use the most potent ‘weapon’ at your disposal, your vote, to express your outrage during the forthcoming polls.”
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