The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that there is a renewed smear campaign against its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. It won’t work against the party’s chances in the 2019 elections, it said yesterday.
The main opposition was responding making what it described as attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to paint Atiku black in the eyes of the electorate ahead of the elections.
In a statement by the spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said “these shenanigans” will be of no avail.
The party said the “woeful performance” of President Muhammadu Buhari in office will remain the referendum for the 2019 presidential election no matter the attempts to use hirelings to change national discuss.
“It is instructive for the APC to accept the reality that our candidate, Atiku, enjoys the support of Nigerians across the board for his credibility, forthrightness and capacity to deliver”, the statement added. It stated further that it’s shameful that instead of channeling the nation’s resources to productive ventures, the APC and the Presidency have remained fixated on Atiku Abubakar, saying that it has become clear that Nigerians can no longer be deceived by “lies and beguilements”.
The statement continued, “Also, having failed in the attempt to paint and label Atiku as corrupt, the APC has now started creating seemingly independent groups to commence a fresh attack on the personal image of our candidate.
“The PDP is aware of how two top officials of the APC, two Presidential aides and two APC governors have been detailed to coordinate this agenda against our candidate.
“Their strategies include using the procured groups and hirelings to release strings of fabrications against our candidate ahead of the elections.
“The PDP therefore counsels the APC and the Buhari Presidency to get ready to face an imminent electoral indignation and defeat from Nigerians as rewards for their basket of unfulfilled promises and empty scorecards.
“These desperate plots to divert attention from manifest failures and incompetence in governance will not work”.