The South West Zone of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed the recent post-national conference summit where some Yoruba leaders endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition as an assemblage of strange bedfellows lacking the political aura to sell the candidacy of the President to reasonable people in the zone.
According to the South-West APC Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, those who brand themselves as Yoruba leaders at the summit were in the minority, necessitating their holding a conference that was not open to the public.
The APC also said the caliber of people promoting the Jonathan reelection in the zone has shown how unpopular the president is in the South West.
The party said: “It is insulting and delusional for those championing Jonathan’s cause in the South-West to think they can decide for Yoruba people behind closed doors. For Tony Uranta and Peter Obi to be attending a Yoruba summit in supervisory role from the presidency is another addition on the list of insults to the pedigree of Yoruba nation from Jonathan’s administration and why he will be rejected at the polls on March 28.”
“Yoruba people cannot be fooled knowing that some of those who dubbed President Jonathan a bribe giver when an allegation of $50,000 ‘bribe’ was made by the Save Nigeria Group are the ones now championing Jonathan’s candidacy.
“Jonathan’s candidacy is unsellable because when our members joined all Nigerians to protest and forced the pronouncement of Dr. Jonathan as the Acting President in 2010, we were not just fighting against the ‘cabal,’ we were sending a strong message that we are tired of the imperial and high-handed governance culture of the PDP-led federal government.”
The party recalled how Nigerians risked their lives in protest for him and many foremost citizens, like Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, risking their reputations to back him for a change that the country truly deserved.
“On assumption of office, the president burnt the bridge that aided his feet to power by assembling another cabal that had since ruled Nigeria like a jungle, violated constitutional provisions, took corruption to an obscene level and promoted ethno-religious divide.
“South west people will speak with their votes on March 28, only the election must not be like that of Ekiti State where state agents were used to rig election. Like they did in the State of Osun gubernatorial election, the South-west people, and by extension, all Nigerians, will resist all intimidations and attempt to steal their votes”.
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