Don’t Make Buhari’s Family A Campaign Issue In The Forthcoming 2019 Election – Presidency Warns PDP

The Presidency has sounded a note of warning to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against making President Muhammadu Buhari’s family a campaign issue in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

This coming following an allegation from the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, that some members of President Buhari’s family own a substantial share in multi-billion naira telecoms giant, Etisalat Nigeria.

Atiku also alleged that the president’s family has acquired mouthwatering shares in Keystone Bank as well as purchasing about N3 billion worth of shares in the new Pakistani Islamic Bank. (Read the report HERE).

Reacting to the allegations, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would gladly accept the challenge if the PDP wants to make family an issue in this campaign. He said:

“If the opposition Peoples Democratic Party wants to make family the issue in the coming elections, the APC would gladly accept the challenge.

“Let this be the subject for 2019 election,’’ he said.

“The PDP leadership could not afford to make family an issue in this campaign. Need I say more?

“The only thing I want to add is that PDP is engaging in mud-slinging because it finds it easier than speaking on their despicable 16-year record in the course of which they abused the trust of Nigerians.

“They made a mess of everything including the economy, security and infrastructure. It has come to the destiny of President Muhammadu Buhari to correct their mistakes.

“The PDP doesn’t see anything beyond grabbing power, power at all costs. As an opposition party, they have failed.’’

Shehu, the Presidential aide further stated that the PDP had remained disconnected with the masses in the country, adding that it is an irony that a party that boasted as being the largest in Africa is now begging small parties for alliances, saying that even if they get all those `paper parties’ behind them, they will still fail. He said:

“They have launched a campaign for the Presidency, a campaign that has failed to get any traction.

“PDP members are themselves admitting that the campaign hadn’t made a good start, that attendance at rallies had unarguably been thin. The whole thing is not working; that President Buhari is unstoppable,’’ he said.

“rather than a so-called cabal, an imaginary creation attached to all past governments of the country, President Buhari is remote-controlled by the 200 million-plus Nigerian people whose interest is uppermost in everything he says and does.

“The PDP doesn’t have the strength and support to fight President Buhari. They don’t have the records in security, economy and the war against corruption to mount any meaningful challenge.

“They have no records of accomplishments in infrastructure. In the 16 years they held sway, they have nothing to show for the colossal oil revenues earned, including 16 billion dollars doled upfront from the Central Bank for power, without a single megawatt to show for all that money.

“That is why they are dragging the President’s wife into their politics.”