The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has admonished the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to focus on real campaign and try to win followers genuinely instead of applying cheap diversionary tactics.
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Monday said “the APC’s so-called ‘change agenda’ should be based on issues and not on change of dressing and religious gathering”.
“This election is not about political window-dressing and dramatizing. What will count is record of performance and antecedents, which President Jonathan stands taller than General Buhari”, the party said.
“It is therefore not surprising that the APC and its Presidential candidate will resort to organizing a kangaroo opinion rating in a failed attempt to cover up their inadequacies and manipulate public perception in their favour”.
According to the ruling party, the phantom poll sponsored by the APC has been designed in such a way to make the general public believe that 75 per cent of the voting population is in support of Buhari ahead of the February 14 Presidential election.
“Our findings reveal that the APC leaders are already intensifying effort to compromise some section of the media so as to ensure that the poll packaged by its foreign consultants is widely publicized.
“Part of the strategy is a disguised mobile phone balloting application being circulated by the APC, whereby a curious click elicits a thank-you message from them and automatically register the unsuspecting phone user as having voted in support of General Buhari”, Metuh said.
Expressing shock at the level to which the major opposition party and its presidential candidate have sunk in their desperation for power, the PDP called on Nigerians, especially the media, to be wary of the plot to deceive the public and truncate our democratic process.
“Our final advice to the APC is that they should focus on real campaign and stop playing to the gallery. Lies, no matter how much embellished can never take the place of truth and nothing built on falsehood stands. This election is not about fake figures and falsehood. It is about the choice of the citizens. Nigerians have since made up their minds to continue identifying with their performing President and no amount of propaganda and misrepresentation by the APC can change this”, the statement concluded.