The
presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress [APC]
has just issued the statement below indicating it would not participate
in the series of debates being organised by the Broadcast Organisation
of Nigeria [BON]. This was due to the biased of the organizations in the political affairs of the country.
Read full statement below:
“The All Progressives Congress (APC)
will not be not be featuring in the ongoing electioneering public
debates on national television and radio, being organised by the
Broadcast Organisation of Nigeria (BON), because of the unhidden bias
and campaign of calumny by some key organisers of the programme, against
the corporate political interest of the party (APC) and its candidates.
“Garba Shehu, Director Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) said in a press statement on Thursday
in Abuja that the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) powered debate
was fraught with fundamental errors from the outset, by wearing the toga
of government control, especially being composed mainly of agencies and
allies of the incumbent People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP)
administration.
“A
salutary inspection of the composition of NEGD brings into focus the
Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), National Television
Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the
Africa Independent Television (AIT, owned by a PDP chieftain). And going
by the avalanche of inflammatory statements, misinformation and blatant
lies being propagated by some of these media against our Party and
candidates contrary to the Koffi Annan brokered Abuja Peace Accord, and
the failure of these aggressors to desist and apologise, have left the
APC Campaign with no option than to steer clear of any premeditated
smear campaign that could be inimical to our prospective electoral
success,” Shehu said.
The APCPCO spokesman further explained
that the boycott by the APC should not be seen as disrespect to
Nigerian voters, or an alibi for the party to dodge public scrutiny; but
it must be viewed as an honourable right not to consent to any activity
that could distract, demean, denigrate or derail the fast-moving train
of the party.
“The APC is a party of progressive
intellectuals, genuine technocrats, successful businessmen and women,
and most of all eminent and courteous people of honour who would never
condescend to the level of sadistic gutter propaganda, all in the name
of political exigency and crass opportunism,” Shehu said.
He noted that that many
Government-controlled media have clipped the wings of APC promotional
advertisements on one excuse on the other adding that, until a court
upturned their decision recently, the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC) shutdown some telecom portals for soliciting legitimate campaign
funds from members of the public for APC.
“Aside,
elements close to sitting President Goodluck Jonathan have commissioned
series of derogatory and death threat advertorials against the person,
family and associates of the opposition leader, General Muhammadu
Buhari, to which the APC had sent letters of complaint to the Inspector
General of Police, the Director General of State Security, Advertisers
Practitioners of Nigeria (APCON), Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the erring media that published or aired such
offensive adverts or documentaries.
“None
of our letters of protest has been attended to by the authorities. So
whatever the incumbent President wants to do with the instrument of
state to harass members of the opposition into humiliating submission
would not work. The APC/Buhari campaign is now a people’s movement. The
more they try to rubbish it, the more popular we are with the populace.
“We
are not shadow-chasers or moonwalkers. The APC is concerned mainly with
the lack of unity and security in Nigeria; plus the growing decimation
of lives, property and territory of our great country due to preventable
insurgency; the slumbering economy; decaying educational system;
absence of jobs; poor public health; and the cancerous
institutionalisation of corruption in our national life. You can’t fool
the people all the time. Nigerians will vote out their oppressors come
February 14.”
