The presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday declared that the widely reported invitation by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to President Goodluck Jonathan to join its fold has clearly demonstrated that the party has no electable presidential material in its fold.
In two separate statements, the PDP national publicity secretary, Tony Caesar Okeke and senior special assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the invitation to President Jonathan has justified their often repeated position that the opposition political party lacked the human resources to provide good and effective governance for the Nigerian nation and will always have to depend on the Peoples Democratic Party for leadership in all ramifications.
According to Dr. Okupe, “While it is not out of place for political parties to make overtures to those they believe have the capacity to assist them gain greater acceptability among the electorate, it is noteworthy that this invitation is being extended to a sitting president who was elected on the platform of another political party and whose unquestionable performance in the last two years have often been derided by this same political cynics”.
“With this invitation by the APC to President Goodluck Jonathan and open declarations of its unpreparedness by its National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, it should be apparent to Nigerians that this new political party is directionless, lacking substance and without a clear purposeful leadership”.
Reacting in same vein, the PDP Spokesman, Tony Okeke said the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party just a few days after registration is an indication that the APC is a party of desperate power mongers whose only aim is to satisfy their egocentric interests.
Okeke said the APC has confirmed to Nigerians that it does not believe in the leadership abilities of its prominent leaders, General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“This confirmation reinforces our earlier assertion that the duo are despots lacking in democratic credentials”.
Okeke emphasized that the invitation to President Jonathan has betrayed the opposition as a clueless party in dire need of leadership and ideology and as such seeks to tap from the PDP.
“By calling President Goodluck Jonathan to join it, the APC has shown that it has no confidence in the leadership abilities of its prominent leaders, such as General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The party has looked inwards and has realised the bitter truth that none of those in its fold has the required credentials, charisma and competence to be president, hence they have been seeking to poach from the PDP.
“The APC has clearly vindicated the PDP by openly showing that it is a confused and clueless party, lacking in ideology and in dire need of leadership. It is only a gathering of confused persons that will at one moment falsely condemn somebody as inept and incompetent, and the next moment are begging the same person to come and join them.”