*PDP taunts APC, says its presidential candidate, Tinubu is no match for Atiku
*Insists Tinubu’s role in installing Buhari-led APC govt responsible for hardships in Nigeria
*APC fires back, says PDP can’t smell power again as it would be “dead” by 2023
*Accuses PDP of ruining Nigeria’s economy in its 16 years of ‘colossal’ failure
By Mike Odiakose and Okechukwu Jombo
As was expected and normal in times of heightened activities between main rival political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday opened a session of crossfire perhaps to justify their new billings.
The main opposition political party, PDP started with its salvo when it described Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and Senator who has just emerged as APC’s presidential candidate as no match for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the country’s former Vice President.
Reacting to the emergence of Tinubu as APC presidential candidate, PDP said through its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, that Tinubu should be blamed for the sufferings Nigerians are going through today for the role he played in getting President Muhammadu Buhari to power.
“Our Party also sympathizes with Asiwaju for embarking on a journey to nowhere as he is no match for PDP’s more popular, more competent and more prepared Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar the unifier and the people’s choice, who defeated President Buhari fair and square in the 2019 Presidential election.
“Asiwaju will soon realize that Nigeria is not one of his acquired estates or fiefdoms and that the Nigerian people are not his political string-puppets and retinue of lackies, from whom he bought the APC Presidential ticket.
“Asiwaju will also soon realize that Nigerians hold him responsible for his self-confessed role in installing the failed Buhari-led administration that subjugated the people, brought excruciating economic hardship, acute poverty, bloodletting, terrorism, mass killings, promoted disunity, tribalism and nepotism, lawlessness, massive treasury looting and unpardonable life-discounting experiences to our country”, the party stated.
The PDP added that it is reprehensible that Asiwaju, after being handed an APC flag, did not demonstrate any form of remorse for the injuries he engineered and caused our nation in the last seven years.
“His failure to express empathy for the victims of violence, kidnapping, mass killings and acts of terrorism, especially the recent gruesome attack in a sacred place of worship, St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State serves as a foretaste of the big cover up and harrowing experience that Nigerians will face, God forbid, should Asiwaju emerge as President in 2023.
“His acceptance speech further exposed his manifest lack of capacity, presence of mind, resourcefulness and selflessness to manage the affairs of a nation as complex as Nigeria.
“From Asiwaju’s egotistic” outbursts before and after the APC manipulative National Convention, it is crystal clear that his life-long dream of clinching the APC Presidential ticket is not for the wellbeing of Nigerians but out of desperation to lay hands on the keys to the nation’s treasury.
“Asiwaju has insulted the sensibilities of Nigerians enough and this APC National Convention will be his final political outing.
“This is because Nigerians have had enough and are now, more than ever before, ready and out on the platform of the PDP to defend our nation and reject Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential election.
“The Nigerian politics is far more complex and beyond the Lagos politics where Asiwaju operates with brawl and deployment of violence rather than brain”, the party added.
Reacting to PDP’s position, Tinubu said that APC would ensure that PDP is kept out of power and went ahead to predict that the PDP would die in 2023.
Director, Media and Communication of Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga in a statement quoted Tinubu as saying that much in his acceptance speech.
Tinubu said the party must work to ensure PDP does not return to power after 16 years of colossal failure.
“They ruined our economy. They left abandoned projects. How many abandoned projects did they leave behind? We must keep the key of our treasury away from them. PDP must not be allowed to return back to power,” he said.
