- Umahi: We’ll support any party that takes S’East Seriously
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to lure the South-east geo-political zones into supporting his second term will fall like a pack of cards as the people have resolved not to follow any leader who cannot deliver on his promises.
PDP’s position is coming as the Chairman of South-east Governors Forum and Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has reiterated his position that though the zone is predominantly PDP, they would support any political party that would factor the welfare of the zone seriously.
The main opposition party said Buhari and the All Progressive Congress (APC) have been jittery since the South-east and other geo-political zones across board expressed an overwhelming acceptance of the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, due to his proven competence, respect for equity and all-inclusiveness in governance.
The party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that Nigerians were no longer interested in fake promises and false performance claims, now that elections are around the corner.
He said, “Instead of accepting his failure, which is manifest to all, President Buhari, who is reputed for not fulfilling campaign promises, is busy making a fresh list of fake promises to Nigerians.
“In this desperation, the president fails to understand that the people of the South -east, just like other Nigerians, are too sophisticated to fall for gimmicks, false promises and ethnic politics, and as such cannot be swayed from their resolve to rally with Atiku Abubakar to rescue our country from the shackles of misrule.”
Ologbondiyan stated that Nigerians have since seen through Buhari’s bouquet of failures and fake promises, which in any case, cannot heal the wounds of marginalisation, nepotism, inequity, disregard for federal character principle and harsh economic policies, including obnoxious foreign exchange regulations and heavy taxations of his administration, which are killing businesses and plunging families into extreme poverty.
He said Nigerians, including those in the South-east, know that Buhari does not keep promises.
Ologbondiyan added, “They know that he has not fulfilled any of the promises he made during the 2015 campaign. As such, they cannot fall to the same old trick ahead of the 2019 general election.
“Moreover, President Buhari is yet to apologise to the South-east and other geo-political zones over his administration’s indictment for human rights violations, extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, arbitrary detention, torture and reported disappearances, as detailed in the reports by the United States Department of State, Amnesty International (AI) and Transparency International (TI).”
Meanwhile, the chairman of South-east Governors Forum and Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, has reiterated his position that though the zone is predominantly PDP, they would support any political party that would factor the welfare of Ndigbo seriously.
Umahi further said the South-east governors visited Buhari the same way the South-south visited, because they are part of Nigeria, to table most of the infrastructural challenges in the zone to the president.
The governor who spoke to journalists in Abakaliki after inspecting President Muhammadu Buhari’s glass tunnel and other projects in the state, urged Nigerians to eschew extreme politics, adding that politics should be separated from the welfare of the people.
