FFK: Pro-Tinubu protesters to get N10,000 each

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organisation has accused Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of paying N10,000 each to hordes of Lagos residents to march the streets of the state in protest of a documentary periodically airing on television stations about the former governor.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Femi Fani-Kayode, director of media and publicity of the campaign organisation, said APC had once again decided to embark on a voyage of delusion with its planned march on Saturday “to drum support for its sinking leader and overwhelmed godfather, Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

“The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation considers the march preposterous, and a deliberate attempt by the APC to try to shore up the sagging image and reputation of Tinubu in the light of the mind-boggling revelations, in a TV documentary, titled ‘Unmasking the Real Tinubu’, about how he has almost privatised Lagos state,” he said.

“We would not have bothered about the APC and the decision of its members to bear their silly brooms during their pro-Tinubu march in Lagos, but for the information at our disposal, which link them to a plan to hurl invectives, as they have always shamelessly done, at our presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, our governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr Jimi Agbaje and some of our party leaders, including Chief Olabode George and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

“It is sardonic that the APC is mobilising its members and supporters in Lagos and environs for a march to sing songs in Tinubu’s honour and chant his praises when, in fact, the people of Lagos, having now known the extent of his manipulative and acquisitive stranglehold on the economy of the state, should be the ones to embark on a spontaneous protest against the will of one man to perpetually subjugate the people to an ungodly economic and political control.

“We make bold to say that if there should be any rally or protest in Lagos, such should be directed against the exposed fake lion of Bourdillion. The people should use the rally to demand to know how he acquired the humongous items of property listed against his name in the squalid documentary.”

Fani-Kayode said the time had come for the good people of Lagos to deliver themselves from the bondage of the APC and its errant and autocratic godfather, adding that the forthcoming general election presents the opportunity to put an end to “the evil reign of a gang of politicians” and their leader in the APC who have appropriated the commonwealth of Lagos to service their selfish political and economic agenda to the detriment of the people.

“The looting must stop. The deception must stop. The people must say through their votes that ‘enough is enough’. We therefore call on Lagosians, especially the youths who have been mobilised and promised N10, 000 each to march tomorrow, to collect the money, since it is their money anyway, and reject these charlatans and their lying APC at the polls,” he continued.

“On a different note, the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign wishes to draw the attention of the Nigerian people to the attempt by the APC to compromise the justice system in our country by attempting to influence the Lagos State High Court during the course of any litigation in which they and their leaders have an immediate or remote interest. Leaders of the APC have openly boasted of their intention to do this and have constantly told all those that care to listen that they own the Lagos State High Court.

“We do not believe them and neither do we believe that any judge of the Lagos State High Court or elsewhere will allow him or herself to be compromised or used. We have every confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary and we trust and believe that, in the highest and most noble tradition of the Nigerian Bench, our judges will maintain their hard-earned integrity and will not allow themselves to be compromised by the corruptive influence of the APC and its fraudulent leaders. We believe that such evil manipulations and attempts by the APC to pervert the course of justice will be resisted by the courts.

“We are also in possession of credible information about the APC’s plan to procure the services of some disgruntled persons within and outside the country to attack and assassinate the characters of leaders of the PDP in the build-up to the March 28 and April 11 general elections. They have offered huge sums of money to the former staff of numerous PDP leaders, including the President, the Vice President, the National Chairman, the DG of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, the National Security Advisor, two Directors of the Presidential Campaign Organisation including my good self and numerous other key government and party leaders and functionaries to fabricate the most unbelievable, salacious, chilling and macabre tales about their former principals in an attempt to discredit us.

“They also wish to distract us from our single-minded focus which is to vigorously defend and sell the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Nigerian people. Let me assure the public that their plan will fail. We will not be distracted and we cannot be discredited by unsubstantiated allegations and baseless claims. We shall remain focused and we shall ensure that we keep our eyes on the ball. These despicable tactics by the APC shall not yield any fruits for them but instead will only confirm the fact that they are a party that is rooted in filth and sleaze.

“The truth is that they are a party that is led by desperate politicians who will stop at nothing to win the forthcoming elections. Thankfully we have some bad news for them: whether they believe it or not the Nigerian people have rejected them and this will be amply demonstrated by the outcome of the elections on March 28 and April 11.

“In conclusion, rather than embark on a needless march tomorrow in Lagos, the APC and its leaders should engage in a sober session of obligatory introspection. They should also seek the counsel of God and they should ask for deliverance from the vicious and unrelenting demons that have taken control of their hearts, souls and minds and that undoubtedly possess them. They should be truthful to themselves about what they really stand for and what their real intentions for Nigeria are. They should accept the fact that they are a dying and decaying party that has nothing to offer the Nigerian people.

“On our part, the PDP is committed to continuing the good work that we have been doing for the last 16 years. Under the able leadership of our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, we shall continue with our stated objective and agenda of transforming our nation and touching the lives of our people.”