Jonathan, PDP Under Fire Over Buhari ‘death Threat’

There was outrage yesterday over an advertisement placed in
some national newspapers in support of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s re-election campaign.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform the
president is contesting, was under fire over the advertisement
placed by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The advertisement titled “Nigerians be warned”, quoted a Bible
passage saying “I have set before thee life and death…”. It has
photographs of the late Heads of State Gen. Murtala Muhammed,
Gen. Sani Abacha, the late President Musa Yar’Adua – all of who
died in office and the photo of Gen Buhari, “age 72 from NorthWest
again”. “Will you allow history to repeat itself? Enough of state
burials. Nigerians vote wisely. Vote Goodluck Jonathan. Northern
presidency should wait till 2019,” it said.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the advertisement
as “reckless”, adding that PDP leaders have turned themselves to
God.
President of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria
(APCON), the advertising regulatory body in Nigeria, Mr. Lolu
Akinwunmi, described the advertisement as “unconventional,
shocking and controversial”.
Gen. Buhari, on his tweeter handle thisIsBuhari, said: “How can
his (Jonathan’s) campaign be talking about dead ex-leaders,
jogging around the stadium and outright lies about my health?”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) described the advertisement
as “choosing death for our candidate”.
The party accused the PDP of threatening Gen. Buhari’s life and
paying lip service to the Abuja accord signed last week by the
parties to ensure a violence-free election.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the Buhari campaign,
Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that “the PDP and its
surrogates should be held responsible if anything happens to Gen.
Buhari, before, during and after the elections”.
The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation advised President
Jonathan and the PDP leadership to take charge of their campaign
before their surrogates plunge Nigeria into confusion and anarchy.
It urged all APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari
across the country to remain calm and not play into the hands of
the PDP hatchet men to be provoked and thereby, giving them the
much-needed excuse to abort this democracy before or after the
elections.
Shehu said: ”This is the height of desperate tactics by the PDP,
which is capable of degenerating into unnecessary bloodshed and
destruction. They are choosing death for us. This is not politics.
We are, therefore, asking our supporters to stay calm and be law-
abiding.”
“Even as a candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has a duty to lead
the country with responsibility up until May 29, when a new
President will be inaugurated,” he said, adding that the on-going
campaign on Gen. Buhari’s health, using forged medical reports,
and now suggestions of death are reeking of plots to eliminate him
(Buhari) before or after he wins.
The Organisation added that “the world is watching and that if
anything happens to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari before, during or
after the elections, under the pretext of X, Y or Z, we shall be left
with no option than to conclude that the PDP and their surrogates
are to be held accountable”.
“All APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari
across the country should not play into the hands of the PDP
hatchet men to be provoked and thereby, giving them the much-
needed excuse to abort this democracy before or after the
elections.”
The APC stressed that it is committed to the peace accord signed
by political parties under the supervision of the former Secretary
General of the United Nations, Dr. Kofi Annan and the former
Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
It asked the police, the SSS, the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the advertising regulatory agency in
Nigeria (APCON) to do their jobs by not allowing these dangerous
threats to democracy go unchecked.
“Once again, the APC campaign advises all its supporters to strive
to stay above the ‘rofo-rofo’, which is clearly designed to provoke
our supporters to help the PDP’s sinister agenda to abort this hard
fought for democracy in view of their impending defeat in the
forthcoming general elections,” Shehu said.
The APC Campaign said petitions were being sent to APCON, INEC,
DSS, the Police and concerned newspapers involved “to protest
this malicious death wish”.
Also yesterday, Baraje, a one-time national chair of the PDP, now a
member of the campaign council of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign
Organisation, condemned in strong terms and in its entirety the
advertisement.
He described it as “high sense of irresponsibility and an insensible
act.”
Baraje said the advertisement was “not only reckless, uncalled for,
but a type that can cause anarchy and crisis in the country.”
He expressed surprise that the publication by Fayose came a few
days after President Jonathan, Gen Buhari and other presidential
candidates signed a non-violence agreement for peaceful elections
next month.
Baraje said: “There is a limit to the tolerance of well-meaningful
Nigerians to such inflammatory statements such as that of
Governor Fayose. This shows the extent of the desperation of the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party.”
He drew the attention of Nigerians and INEC to the inciting
statement credited to Fayose, asking them to call the governor to
order.
Baraje said: “Such a statement apart from having the tendency to
cause anarchy and acrimony, the PDP seems to be preparing
grounds for violence a few days to the general elections
“Fayose should not dare God by asking Nigerians to chose
between life and death which made him to refer to General Buhari,
the APC presidential candidate in a news and pictorial
advertisement sponsored in front page of a national daily as a
dead man due to his age.
”With the statement credited to the Ekiti State Governor and the
statement by the PDP Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu that the
PDP is a party of injustice and a party that lacks equity where
monkey dey work baboon dey chop, the present leaders of the APC
have been vindicated by their move to leave the PDP enmasse and
defect to the APC.”
He warned the leadership of the PDP against bringing such
injustice to the nation.
“Nigerians should be patient and not take the laws into their hands
because the ruling party (PDP) is already jittery about the
impending outcome of the forthcoming elections which is already
favouring the APC considering the massive support the APC has
been receiving from all campaigns they have embarked upon,” he
cautioned.
Baraje drew the attention of the Inspector-General of Police, the
INEC Chairman, DSS and other security agencies to the
inflammatory statements originating from the PDP and its
candidates particularly Governor Fayose.
He urged the security agencies to “do something urgently so as
not to cause crisis in the country.”