PDP urges APC to focus campaign on issues, not attack on persons

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised
the All Peoples Congress (APC) to base its campaign on
issues as the nation moves toward the 2015 general
elections.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, gave
the advice in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
The PDP spokesman assured the APC that the PDP
remained committed to campaigning on issues.
He added that “we will campaign on our record of verifiable
achievements; we will campaign on the fact that Nigeria
can never go back to the past.”
“We will campaign on issues and ideas built around our
continuing agenda to transform our nation going into the
future.”
Metuh said that PDP’s reference to Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari, the APC presidential candidate as “semi-literate
jackboot” did not amount to the party’s renege on
commitment to issue-based campaign.

The PDP national publicity secretary, however,
acknowledged that the PDP National Secretary, Prof.
Wale Oladipo, referred to Gen. Buhari as “semi-literate
jackboot.”
“In the PDP, we occupy the moral high ground as far as
our commitment to issues-based campaign is concerned.”
“Our word remains our bond. Since we made that
commitment, we have focused on issues.”
“There has never been any instance that we have
maliciously attacked the characters of those on the
presidential ticket of the APC.”
“Rather, we have been alive to our responsibility of offering
public service, so that Nigerians will not be deceived.”
He added that the statement by Oladipo, referred to by the
APC, did not compare to instances of vicious, malicious
and provocative attacks on the person and office of
President Goodluck Jonathan by the APC.

He said that in the face of vicious attacks on the
President, PDP had remained committed to engaging in
decent campaign ahead of the 2015 general elections.
“It is on record that a few days after the commitment
alluded to by the APC, Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano
State and of the APC attacked the person of President
Jonathan, describing him as an incompetent commander-
in-chief.”
“No personal attack could be more vicious and
unconscionable.”
“Similarly, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi,
had consistently prosecuted a hate campaign against
President Jonathan, describing him as an enemy of Rivers
people.”
“To worsen the entire matter, the APC presidential
candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, is complicit in the
propagation of personal attack over and above issues.”
“It was insulting for Buhari to say, as he did in Sokoto on
December 21, that no right-thinking Nigerian will vote
for Jonathan.”
Metuh said President Jonathan had never, whether before
or after he became the PDP presidential candidate for
2015 election, attacked the character or person of Gen.
Buhari.
He assured that PDP was however, fully prepared, ready,
willing and able to defend all personal attacks on President
Jonathan and the party`s leadership.
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