The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Council has strongly criticized President Goodluck Jonathan for flooding Nigeria’s federal capital with 2015 presidential electoral campaign posters, accusing him of violating existing agreements and trying to perpetuate his failed leadership.

In a statement signed by its Publicity director, Comrade Bala Usman, and National Director, Fidelis Uzoka, the group said it would not stand idly by while the structure that their founding fathers labored hard to build is now “used in dancing the one legged dance of the spirits that leads to doom.”

Said the group: “The events of the last few days [have] ignited outrage and public condemnation because of the deliberate and well calculated commencement of a Presidential campaign by President Jonathan even in the face of his so called ban on political activities is an unwarranted test of the will and patience of Nigerians who has tried to exhibit high level of tolerance to a regime which seems in the last two years to have lost the focus of true leadership and proper understanding of the ideals of our party’s founding fathers. The choice of the midnight of the new year for such wasteful gamble of flooding Abuja with the Presidents campaign posters is very embarrassing and show of leadership idleness on the part of the Presidential hawks.”

Reviewing those events, the group described the timing of the campaign posters as “ill motivated, diversionary, high level of childish prank” and a calculated attempt to test the will of Nigerian people and members of the ruling party by a regime that has burned the goodwill that Nigerians gave to the party.

“We have watched and read the reactions of Nigerians to this new year gift which came at a time Nigerians where trying to enjoy their new year, same way they returned last year to grace the hike in the price of fuel which was an anti-party decision and an inhuman treatment which was contrary to the dreams of our party’s founding fathers of build a strong economic base for the Nigerian Citizenry.

“The President and his team after seeing that this attempt to fly the 2015 kite has failed and backfired with outrage from Nigerians, hurriedly put up a disclaimer which was neither here nor there, aimed at pulling wool over our eyes. Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked by this last minute exoneration attempt, not even when the same president has filled another defense at the federal high court where he is battling to prove that he has a right to second term. Who is fooling who?”

The PDP Youth Council then asked a series of questions regarding why Mr. Jonathan wants to run for a second term when he had repeatedly committed only to one.

It also dismissed Jonathan’s abysmal performance in office. “What will the President gain from abandoning his responsibility of governance to pursue a phantom 2015 project without a single achievement?”

It said that as members of the ruling party, the youths had resorted to shouting because the President is on the path of “slaughtering” the party, and warned that the national stability and intra party cohesion and trust which Jonathan is about to breach a second time will rip the party apart and set it on a journey to eternal burial.

“We say NO to this,” the statement said. “Posters or no Posters, the PDP has suffered greatly in the hands of President Jonathan, the public rating of the party has gone down below 30 percent, our electoral strength has dwindled, our party intra unity and cohesion has been broken. WE MUST REPAIR PDP NOW. The PDP has been so kind to Jonathan, by keeping him uninterrupted in power since our return to democracy from 1999 till date, the President must pay the party back by been honorable and placing the unity of the party and interest above his personal ambition.”

It warned that the party cannot withstand the firepower of the Mega party and Nigerian electorate if Jonathan fails to perform, and that the PDP must save itself by getting Jonathan to be accountable, focused and competent as his continuous slide to failure and confusion is not a Jonathan problem but a party problem.

The survival of the PDP, the group said, depends on the ability of Jonathan to clear the leadership mess that has been imposed on Nigeria.

“Our PDP must get President Jonathan to come clean before 2015 by cleaning the corruption mess all over Nigeria which has increased both in the judiciary, legislature and executives in the last 3 years.

“The subsidy mess which the President created must be handled and resolved.

“The level of unemployment which is on the rise must be contained now.

“The level of insecurity and armed robberies/kidnapping which has become part of our hourly life in Nigeria must be resolved.

“The issue of terrorism and wanton destruction must be resolved not by VIPs riding in security cars but ordinary Nigerians having the secure environment to carry on their legitimate activities.

“Religious worship must not be a thing of fear under a Jonathan government but joy and celebration.

“The elevation of ethnicity and petty issue to governance level must be reversed.”

The youths predicted that before the day runs out, they expect to be cajoled, intimidated, called names and harassed by security agencies because they have dared to speak publicly the truth they had previously said within only to be ignored, but warned that the dangers they have identified, if not dealt with, will see the curtains come down on their party.

“We wish to state that the gathering storm against our party both internally and externally is building and if the President has finally run out of ideas to lead our nation and provide leadership unity, honor and respect to the dreams of our party’s founding fathers and the electorates who innocently entrusted him with a mandate he has betrayed, We urge our party leader to do the honorable and courageous thing and resign from office and hand over power to his deputy, so that the process of rebuilding our party and giving focused leadership can commence in earnest as we have less than two years to the next election. ”

Full text of the press statement:

PRESS RELEASE

PDP YOUTH COUNCIL

pdpyouthcouncil@yahoo.com

RE: PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN POSTERS FLOOD ABUJA

WHAT WILL JONATHAN GAIN BY DIGGING THE GRAVE OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THE PDP

RESIGN IF YOU HAVE RUN OUT OF LUCK AND IDEAS: THIS IS THE TIME TO SAVE PDP FROM YOU.

As a committed strong mobilization body of veterans of the pdp struggle and umbrella body of all youth groups and activist group in the PDP we cannot seat quiet and watch the PDP, that our founding fathers labored hard to build to be used in dancing the one legged dance of the spirits that leads to doom.

The events of the last few days has ignited outrage and public condemnation because of the deliberate and well calculated commencement of a Presidential campaign by President Jonathan even in the face of his so called ban on political activities is an unwarranted test of the will and patience of Nigerians who has tried to exhibit high level of tolerance to a regime which seems in the last two years to have lost the focus of true leadership and proper understanding of the ideals of our party’s founding fathers. The choice of the midnight of the new year for such wasteful gamble of flooding Abuja with the Presidents campaign posters is very embarrassing and show of leadership idleness on the part of the Presidential hawks.

WE WISH TO STATE FOR THE RECORDS HERE:

– That we believe in the right of every member of our political party to seek for elective positions at all levels including the presidency but condemns such act when it is targeted at destroying the unity, stability,trust,fairness and future survival of our great party

– It is no longer news that , getting to two years ago when our great party delegates gave their votes to Mr president, including the years spent in office under President Yar’adua term completion, Mr President have not shown the will and competence to solve the many Problems of our Country for which Nigerians entrusted him with their mandate.

– Today under Jonathan Nigeria, the labour and pains of democratic stability and intra party unity built by our party founding fathers has gradually been destroyed to the extent that the picture emerging today if unchecked is that PDP will suffer its first Presidential electoral defeat under Jonathan Presidency.

– We wish to say here and now, that the timing of the campaign posters was ill motivated, diversionary, high level of childish prank and a calculated attempt to test the will of Nigerian people and members of the ruling party by a regime that has burned the goodwill that Nigerians gave to our party.

– We have watched and read the reactions of Nigerians to this new year gift which came at a time Nigerians where trying to enjoy their new year, same way they returned last year to grace the hike in the price of fuel which was an anti party decision and an inhuman treatment which was contrary to the dreams of our party’s founding fathers of build a strong economic base for the Nigerian Citizenry.

The President and his team after seeing that this attempt to fly the 2015 kite has failed and backfired with outrage from Nigerians, hurriedly put up a disclaimer which was neither here nor there, aimed at pulling wool over our eyes. Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked by this last minute exoneration attempt, not even when the same president has filled another defense at the federal high court where he is battling to prove that he has a right to second term. Who is fooling who?

In view of the above we ask:

-Why is the President afraid of publicly honoring the pre 2011 agreement with party leaders, governors etc to do a single term of four years?

-Why is the President scared of honoring his deal with our great former party leader, former President Obasanjo to do only a single term which made Obasanjo to lead the peace moves that dozed tension in trouble areas and convinced party stakeholders to vote for him?

-Why is the President afraid of honoring his international vow in Etiopia to do a single term in Office?

-Why is the President afraid of honoring his accord with Northern leaders and traditional rulers on completion of a single term tenure?

-What will the President gain from abandoning his responsibility of governance to pursue a phantom 2015 project without a single achievement?

Today, we as members of the ruling party are shouting because the President is on the path of slaughtering the ruling party. The issue of national stability and intra party cohesion and trust which Mr. President is about to breach a second time will tear the last string that is holding the PDP together and set the party on fire and its journey to eternal burial, We say NO to this. Posters or no Posters, the PDP Has suffered greatly in the hands of President Jonathan, he public ratings of the pdp has gone down below 30 percent, our electoral strength has dwindled, our party intra unity and cohesion has been broken. WE MUST REPAIR PDP NOW. The PDP has been so kind to Jonathan, by keeping him uninterrupted in power since our return to democracy from 1999 till date, the President must pay the party back by been honorable and placing the unity of the party and interest above his personal ambition.

The PDP Will not withstand the firepower of the Mega party and Nigerian electorate if Jonathan fails to Perform, The PDP must save itself by getting Jonathan to be accountable, focused and competent as his continuous slide to failure and confusion is not a Jonathan problem but a pdp problem.

Again we wish to alert and warn BOT Members not to succumb to the ongoing pressure by Jonathan Team in the BOT to impose an anointed candidate for the BOT Job. The plot has gone advanced and we urge all party patriots to stand up and resist the ongoing plot to coronate an already anointed candidate for the BOT leadership. We urge all forces in the BOT to rally round the forces of progressive in the BOT to wedge the ongoing plot of turning the BOT into President Jonathan 2015 Presidential advisory council.

Our party future survival depends on the ability of Jonathan to clear the mess of leadership already infested on Nigeria.

Our PDP must get President Jonathan to come clean before 2015 by cleaning the corruption mess all over Nigeria which has increased both in the judiciary, legislature and executives in the last 3 years.

The subsidy mess which the President created must be handled and resolved.

The level of un employment which is on the rise must be contained now.

The level of insecurity and armed robberies/kidnapping which has become part of our hourly life in Nigeria must be resolved.

The issue of terrorism and wanton destruction must be resolved not by vips riding in security cars but ordinary Nigerians having the secure environment to carry on their legitimate activities.

Religious worship must not be a thing of fear under a Jonathan Govt but joy and celebration.

The elevation of ethnicity and petty issue to governance level must be reversed.

Gentle men of the press, you will agree with us that before the day runs out, we will be cajoled, intimated, security agency harassment and even called names because we dared to speak publicly the truth we have said inside but was ignored, the dangers we see everyday which if not handled will close the curtain on our party. Spread the message, we will not be daunted by white wash talk or blackmail by propaganda machines led by people like Olisa Metu and Gulak etc who sees nothing wrong in the one legged dance of the spirit our party is doing now. PDP MUST BE FREE.

Finally, we wish to commend the leadership role and statemanship posture and peace building effort of our great former party leader, Olusegun Obasanjo who at a very great personal cost and sacrifice has undertaken to unite, save and return honor and trust among our party members. We pledge our salute and expression of support to the effort of Obasanjo to save PDP from sliding into the part of its final decent to extinction. All loyal party members, must always welcome and listen to the message of stability and peace which the Obasanjo train is taking round the country. At a time when many party elders has joined the struggle for stomach survival, few Party men like Obasanjo has kept our flag of truth, honor and unity flying high. The people have their last hope in saving pdp in the nationwide acceptance of the call for fairness, honor and stability by Obasanjo. Let him be cajoled, let them try to run him down , but note we will stand and fight with him until honor, truth, fairness is retuned to the pdp with the emergence of a trusted, honorable party candidate whose emergence will be routed in experience, equity and fairness.

As we once again condemn in strong terms the failed attempt to test political waters by Jonathan and his people with their new year campaign posters and half truth denial, we wish to state that the gathering storm against our party both internally and externally is building and if the President has finally run out of ideas to lead our nation and provide leadership unity, honor and respect to the dreams of our party founding fathers and the electorates who innocently entrusted him with a mandate he has betrayed, We urge our party leader to do the honorable and courageous thing and resign from office and hand over power to his deputy, so that the process of rebuilding our party and giving focused leadership can commence in earnest as we have less than two years to the next election. Many party leaders in South Africa, Ghana, Uk, China etc has taken that honorable path before, and their party and nation emerged from its troubling times to become stronger.

Thanks and God bless us all

Comrade Bala Usman

(Publicity director)

Mr Fidelis Uzoka

National Director PRESS RELEASE

PDP YOUTH COUNCIL