The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Council has strongly
criticized President Goodluck Jonathan for flooding Nigeria’s federal
capital with 2015 presidential electoral campaign posters, accusing him
of violating existing agreements and trying to perpetuate his failed
leadership.
In a statement signed by its Publicity director, Comrade Bala Usman,
and National Director, Fidelis Uzoka, the group said it would not stand
idly by while the structure that their founding fathers labored hard to
build is now “used in dancing the one legged dance of the spirits that
leads to doom.”
Said the group: “The events of the last few days [have] ignited
outrage and public condemnation because of the deliberate and well
calculated commencement of a Presidential campaign by President
Jonathan even in the face of his so called ban on political activities
is an unwarranted test of the will and patience of Nigerians who has
tried to exhibit high level of tolerance to a regime which seems in the
last two years to have lost the focus of true leadership and proper
understanding of the ideals of our party’s founding fathers. The choice
of the midnight of the new year for such wasteful gamble of flooding
Abuja with the Presidents campaign posters is very embarrassing and show
of leadership idleness on the part of the Presidential hawks.”
Reviewing those events, the group described the timing of the
campaign posters as “ill motivated, diversionary, high level of childish
prank” and a calculated attempt to test the will of Nigerian people and
members of the ruling party by a regime that has burned the goodwill
that Nigerians gave to the party.
“We have watched and read the reactions of Nigerians to this new year
gift which came at a time Nigerians where trying to enjoy their new
year, same way they returned last year to grace the hike in the price of
fuel which was an anti-party decision and an inhuman treatment which
was contrary to the dreams of our party’s founding fathers of build a
strong economic base for the Nigerian Citizenry.
“The President and his team after seeing that this attempt to fly the
2015 kite has failed and backfired with outrage from Nigerians,
hurriedly put up a disclaimer which was neither here nor there, aimed at
pulling wool over our eyes. Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked by this last
minute exoneration attempt, not even when the same president has filled
another defense at the federal high court where he is battling to prove
that he has a right to second term. Who is fooling who?”
The PDP Youth Council then asked a series of questions regarding why
Mr. Jonathan wants to run for a second term when he had repeatedly
committed only to one.
It also dismissed Jonathan’s abysmal performance in office. “What
will the President gain from abandoning his responsibility of governance
to pursue a phantom 2015 project without a single achievement?”
It said that as members of the ruling party, the youths had resorted
to shouting because the President is on the path of “slaughtering” the
party, and warned that the national stability and intra party cohesion
and trust which Jonathan is about to breach a second time will rip the
party apart and set it on a journey to eternal burial.
“We say NO to this,” the statement said. “Posters or no Posters, the
PDP has suffered greatly in the hands of President Jonathan, the public
rating of the party has gone down below 30 percent, our electoral
strength has dwindled, our party intra unity and cohesion has been
broken. WE MUST REPAIR PDP NOW. The PDP has been so kind to Jonathan, by
keeping him uninterrupted in power since our return to democracy from
1999 till date, the President must pay the party back by been honorable
and placing the unity of the party and interest above his personal
ambition.”
It warned that the party cannot withstand the firepower of the Mega
party and Nigerian electorate if Jonathan fails to perform, and that the
PDP must save itself by getting Jonathan to be accountable, focused and
competent as his continuous slide to failure and confusion is not a
Jonathan problem but a party problem.
The survival of the PDP, the group said, depends on the ability of
Jonathan to clear the leadership mess that has been imposed on Nigeria.
“Our PDP must get President Jonathan to come clean before 2015 by
cleaning the corruption mess all over Nigeria which has increased both
in the judiciary, legislature and executives in the last 3 years.
“The subsidy mess which the President created must be handled and resolved.
“The level of unemployment which is on the rise must be contained now.
“The level of insecurity and armed robberies/kidnapping which has become part of our hourly life in Nigeria must be resolved.
“The issue of terrorism and wanton destruction must be resolved not
by VIPs riding in security cars but ordinary Nigerians having the secure
environment to carry on their legitimate activities.
“Religious worship must not be a thing of fear under a Jonathan government but joy and celebration.
“The elevation of ethnicity and petty issue to governance level must be reversed.”
The youths predicted that before the day runs out, they expect to be
cajoled, intimidated, called names and harassed by security agencies
because they have dared to speak publicly the truth they had previously
said within only to be ignored, but warned that the dangers they have
identified, if not dealt with, will see the curtains come down on their
party.
"We wish to state that the gathering storm against our party both
internally and externally is building and if the President has finally
run out of ideas to lead our nation and provide leadership unity, honor
and respect to the dreams of our party's founding fathers and the
electorates who innocently entrusted him with a mandate he has betrayed,
We urge our party leader to do the honorable and courageous thing and
resign from office and hand over power to his deputy, so that the
process of rebuilding our party and giving focused leadership can
commence in earnest as we have less than two years to the next election."
Full text of the press statement:
PRESS RELEASE
PDP YOUTH COUNCIL
pdpyouthcouncil@yahoo.com
RE: PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN POSTERS FLOOD ABUJA
WHAT WILL JONATHAN GAIN BY DIGGING THE GRAVE OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THE PDP
RESIGN IF YOU HAVE RUN OUT OF LUCK AND IDEAS: THIS IS THE TIME TO SAVE PDP FROM YOU.
As a committed strong mobilization body of veterans of the pdp
struggle and umbrella body of all youth groups and activist group in the
PDP we cannot seat quiet and watch the PDP, that our founding fathers
labored hard to build to be used in dancing the one legged dance of the
spirits that leads to doom.
The events of the last few days has ignited outrage and public
condemnation because of the deliberate and well calculated commencement
of a Presidential campaign by President Jonathan even in the face of
his so called ban on political activities is an unwarranted test of the
will and patience of Nigerians who has tried to exhibit high level of
tolerance to a regime which seems in the last two years to have lost the
focus of true leadership and proper understanding of the ideals of our
party’s founding fathers. The choice of the midnight of the new year for
such wasteful gamble of flooding Abuja with the Presidents campaign
posters is very embarrassing and show of leadership idleness on the part
of the Presidential hawks.
WE WISH TO STATE FOR THE RECORDS HERE:
- That we believe in the right of every member of our
political party to seek for elective positions at all levels including
the presidency but condemns such act when it is targeted at destroying
the unity, stability,trust,fairness and future survival of our great
party.
- It is no longer news that , getting to two years ago when
our great party delegates gave their votes to Mr president, including
the years spent in office under President Yar’adua term completion, Mr
President have not shown the will and competence to solve the many
Problems of our Country for which Nigerians entrusted him with their
mandate.
- Today under Jonathan Nigeria, the labour and pains of
democratic stability and intra party unity built by our party founding
fathers has gradually been destroyed to the extent that the picture
emerging today if unchecked is that PDP will suffer its first
Presidential electoral defeat under Jonathan Presidency.
- We wish to say here and now, that the timing of the
campaign posters was ill motivated, diversionary, high level of childish
prank and a calculated attempt to test the will of Nigerian people and
members of the ruling party by a regime that has burned the goodwill
that Nigerians gave to our party.
- We have watched and read the reactions of Nigerians to this
new year gift which came at a time Nigerians where trying to enjoy their
new year, same way they returned last year to grace the hike in the
price of fuel which was an anti party decision and an inhuman
treatment which was contrary to the dreams of our party’s founding
fathers of build a strong economic base for the Nigerian Citizenry.
The President and his team after seeing that this attempt to fly the
2015 kite has failed and backfired with outrage from Nigerians,
hurriedly put up a disclaimer which was neither here nor there, aimed at
pulling wool over our eyes. Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked by this
last minute exoneration attempt, not even when the same president has
filled another defense at the federal high court where he is battling to
prove that he has a right to second term. Who is fooling who?
In view of the above we ask:
-Why is the President afraid of publicly honoring the pre 2011
agreement with party leaders, governors etc to do a single term of
four years?
-Why is the President scared of honoring his deal with our great
former party leader, former President Obasanjo to do only a single term
which made Obasanjo to lead the peace moves that dozed tension in
trouble areas and convinced party stakeholders to vote for him?
-Why is the President afraid of honoring his international vow in Etiopia to do a single term in Office?
-Why is the President afraid of honoring his accord with Northern
leaders and traditional rulers on completion of a single term tenure?
-What will the President gain from abandoning his responsibility of
governance to pursue a phantom 2015 project without a single
achievement?
Today, we as members of the ruling party are shouting because the
President is on the path of slaughtering the ruling party. The issue of
national stability and intra party cohesion and trust which Mr.
President is about to breach a second time will tear the last string
that is holding the PDP together and set the party on fire and its
journey to eternal burial, We say NO to this. Posters or no Posters, the
PDP Has suffered greatly in the hands of President Jonathan, he public
ratings of the pdp has gone down below 30 percent, our electoral
strength has dwindled, our party intra unity and cohesion has been
broken. WE MUST REPAIR PDP NOW. The PDP has been so kind to Jonathan, by
keeping him uninterrupted in power since our return to democracy from
1999 till date, the President must pay the party back by been honorable
and placing the unity of the party and interest above his personal
ambition.
The PDP Will not withstand the firepower of the Mega party and
Nigerian electorate if Jonathan fails to Perform, The PDP must save
itself by getting Jonathan to be accountable, focused and competent as
his continuous slide to failure and confusion is not a Jonathan problem
but a pdp problem.
Again we wish to alert and warn BOT Members not to succumb to the
ongoing pressure by Jonathan Team in the BOT to impose an anointed
candidate for the BOT Job. The plot has gone advanced and we urge all
party patriots to stand up and resist the ongoing plot to coronate an
already anointed candidate for the BOT leadership. We urge all forces in
the BOT to rally round the forces of progressive in the BOT to wedge
the ongoing plot of turning the BOT into President Jonathan 2015
Presidential advisory council.
Our party future survival depends on the ability of Jonathan to clear the mess of leadership already infested on Nigeria.
Our PDP must get President Jonathan to come clean before 2015 by
cleaning the corruption mess all over Nigeria which has increased both
in the judiciary, legislature and executives in the last 3 years.
The subsidy mess which the President created must be handled and resolved.
The level of un employment which is on the rise must be contained now.
The level of insecurity and armed robberies/kidnapping which has become part of our hourly life in Nigeria must be resolved.
The issue of terrorism and wanton destruction must be resolved not by
vips riding in security cars but ordinary Nigerians having the secure
environment to carry on their legitimate activities.
Religious worship must not be a thing of fear under a Jonathan Govt but joy and celebration.
The elevation of ethnicity and petty issue to governance level must be reversed.
Gentle men of the press, you will agree with us that before the day
runs out, we will be cajoled, intimated, security agency harassment and
even called names because we dared to speak publicly the truth we have
said inside but was ignored, the dangers we see everyday which if not
handled will close the curtain on our party. Spread the message, we will
not be daunted by white wash talk or blackmail by propaganda machines
led by people like Olisa Metu and Gulak etc who sees nothing wrong in
the one legged dance of the spirit our party is doing now. PDP MUST BE
FREE.
Finally, we wish to commend the leadership role and statemanship
posture and peace building effort of our great former party leader,
Olusegun Obasanjo who at a very great personal cost and sacrifice has
undertaken to unite, save and return honor and trust among our party
members. We pledge our salute and expression of support to the effort of
Obasanjo to save PDP from sliding into the part of its final decent to
extinction. All loyal party members, must always welcome and listen to
the message of stability and peace which the Obasanjo train is taking
round the country. At a time when many party elders has joined the
struggle for stomach survival, few Party men like Obasanjo has kept our
flag of truth, honor and unity flying high. The people have their last
hope in saving pdp in the nationwide acceptance of the call for
fairness, honor and stability by Obasanjo. Let him be cajoled, let them
try to run him down , but note we will stand and fight with him until
honor, truth, fairness is retuned to the pdp with the emergence of a
trusted, honorable party candidate whose emergence will be routed in
experience, equity and fairness.
As we once again condemn in strong terms the failed attempt to test
political waters by Jonathan and his people with their new year campaign
posters and half truth denial, we wish to state that the gathering
storm against our party both internally and externally is building and
if the President has finally run out of ideas to lead our nation and
provide leadership unity, honor and respect to the dreams of our party
founding fathers and the electorates who innocently entrusted him with a
mandate he has betrayed, We urge our party leader to do the honorable
and courageous thing and resign from office and hand over power to his
deputy, so that the process of rebuilding our party and giving focused
leadership can commence in earnest as we have less than two years to the
next election. Many party leaders in South Africa, Ghana, Uk, China etc
has taken that honorable path before, and their party and nation
emerged from its troubling times to become stronger.
Thanks and God bless us all
Comrade Bala Usman
(Publicity director)
Mr Fidelis Uzoka
National Director
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