By KWANTON DOUGLAS
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) support group, the National Volunteers for Lamido, said at the weekend that Nigerians were far better off under the party’s 16 years of mistake than the calamity of the last two and half years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in multiple dimensions.
In a statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Umar Danjani Hadeja, the group contended that while the PDP might have failed in some areas from 1999 to 2015, whatever the party did, it left the scene over two years ago and that exit provided Nigerians the opportunity to gauge the standard of performance.
“From the economy, foreign relations where an APC government has decided to make caricature of the country, its leadership and people, security, wage theft, misapplication of resources and the lack of vision at all levels. This is total disaster,” the group insisted.
It also accused the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu of deliberately choosing to feed the public with falsehood and obvious inaccuracies, deliberate misinformation, and even mischief bordering on denial and selective amnesia.
The group was reacting to Garba’s attempted response to a recent interview granted by a former governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido to the Sun Newspaper, which was published on Saturday, November 11, 2017 wherein he fielded questions on his presidential ambition and the state of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as some snippets on reasoned insights on President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership style, the All Progressives Congress (APC) government and the future of Nigeria and the place of her youth.
The group particularly decried the Presidential Spokesperson’s constant recourse to venturing into the laborious attempts at rebuttals or rejoinders, more often, with scant regard for the truth, just as it described the effort to tar Alhaji Sule Lamido with a dirty brush as mischievous, unprofessional and a damning verdict on Garba.
It further took a swipe at the presidential spokesman for failing to address or “attack” the facts of the matter raised in the Sule Lamido interview but instead, falsely accusing the former Jigawa governor of impugning the integrity of the nation’s judicial system and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), when, in actual fact, “the government is itself destroying,” these two institutions.
“Where, for instance, did Garba see any reference to these institutions in the said interview? Did he at all, read the interview or in the classic case of playing the ‘Boss’, lazily rely on some subordinates who supposedly drew his attention to a publication he never sighted? And as if this was not shameful enough, he brazenly proceeded to blindly issue a ‘rejoinder’ to a publication he apparently knew nothing about. This is a further injury to the image, integrity and ethics of the journalism profession,” it said.
According to the group, Garba has thrown up the poverty of the government’s effort to water down any serious effort to address our national ills. ” His usual habit of ignoring facts was manifest in his attempt to defend his party rather than the government’s confused approach to implementing the agenda it promised.”
The group however noted that Alhaji Lamido would not be deterred, distracted or cowed by the shenanigans of the ilk of Garba, stressing that as a statesman and nationalist whose sole driving impetus is improvement in the material condition of the ordinary Nigerian citizen, as well as carving a place of high repute for Nigeria in the comity of nations, “Alhaji Sule Lamido is forging ahead with steely determination and singleness of purpose.”
“Lamido will continue to speak truth to power and call out the APC government in all its numerous failings. No amount of name-calling, falsehood, character assassination or intimidation will do the trick. Not from Garba Shehu, not from anyone else. The APC government must shape up or ship out, or else expect the Sule Lamidos of this Country and they are in the majority now, to continue to call it out,” the group insisted.
Still comparing the PDP government with the current administration, the group further drew attention to what is called confusion and lies, cross messaging and open confrontation among various officials of government even while brazenly engaged in corrupt practices of various kinds as widely reported in the media. “This is worse than a calamity for a developing nation like ours. Garba should encourage the government he serves to investigate those cases instead of chasing shadows and silhouettes. If you check the markets, prices have skyrocketed. There is unemployment, poverty and hunger, which bad effects have shot over the roofs, while some officials including Garba are smiling, as they hide their loots from this government. These stories have become daily doses of media reportage. Time shall tell.”
Maintaining that the antecedents of everyone given opportunity of service speaks for him or her, the group contended that Alhaji Sule Lamido comes across as a deliverer of promise, challenging anyone in doubt to visit Jigawa State to understand the difference between the Lamido years and the present reality. “Every visible productive project of stature dotting the entire landscape was initiated and completed by him.”
“The essential Alhaji Sule Lamido is a quintessential leader who is and still loved by the people; among whom he lives to date. He speaks his mind, no matter who is involved. In the process, he has encountered and also survived the vicissitudes of politics while serving his fatherland. This has, over the years, shaped his vision with courage of conviction and strength of character. You may confirm by the kind and nature of people around him and his associates.
