Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, yesterday came under attack from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Buhari Support Organisations (BSO) over his hate advert on the APC presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
The advert, published in three national dailies on Monday in which Fayose was mobilising support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidacy, warned against the election of Buhari because given his age at 72, he could die in office.
Besides, Fayose said the possibility of Buhari dying in office could not be ruled out because apart from his age, he comes from the North-West, a geopolitical zone that has produced three leaders who died in office.
The governor listed the three deceased leaders from the North-West as former Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed, who was assassinated in a coup in 1975; General Sani Abacha and former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. But Fayose’s party, the PDP, dissociated itself from the hate advert. Director, Media and Publicity of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode, told reporters in Abuja that the governor’s position was not that of the party. Fani-Kayode said Jonathan and PDP believed in the sanctity of life, adding that age is not an indication of longevity.
“It (advert) does not represent our opinion. This is the position of the presidential campaign organisation of President Jonathan. “We must continue to show immense respect for General Buhari as a person. We do not wish him ill; we do not wish him dead, we wish him well. We believe it is important to always raise question about facts, you know what these questions are and we will continue to raise them,” he said.
Also, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the PDP had violated the violence-free accord with the advert.
He said: “But for our party’s ceaseless enlightenment of our members and supporters to shun violence of any kind even when provoked, and the peaceful disposition of the APC as a party, one can only imagine what could have happened in the wake of this demonic advert, laced with ethnic put-down and a morallyrepugnant death wish for a fellow being. ” We are therefore calling on all those who witnessed the signing of the pact, especially former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former Commonwealth Secretary General Emeka Anyaoku, to take note of this very serious breach of the agreement and urgently call President Goodluck Jonathan and his party to order.
“We are also calling on all Nigerians, as well as security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) to take note of the political desperation of the PDP and its supporters, while warning that we will hold President Jonathan and his party responsible if anything untoward should happen to the APC presidential candidate.”
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) described the advert as being in extreme bad taste and falls within the category of hate speech prohibited under the Electoral Act and other known international laws that forbid the publication of hate speech.
According to the Situation Room, the advertisement negates the Abuja Accord recently signed by the presidential candidates. The Situation Room is made up of CSOs working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria. They include Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development, Enough is Enough Nigeria, Wangonet, CISLAC and several other CSOs.
The group expressed disappointment that such a publication could emanate from a highly-placed political office holder. But an adamant Fayose dismissed the criticisms, saying he has no apology over the advertorial. Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said the truth would never be covered indefinitely. He reiterated his claim that the APC presidential candidate is too old and sick to be the president. The governor said the advertorial was his personal opinion as a citizen of and not the opinion of PDP.
However, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has dismissed the rebuttal by the PDP. A statement from the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APC presidential campaign yesterday said the denial by Fani-Kayode was “merely a case of a master dissociating himself from the errand boy after the message had backfired.” Director of Media and Publicity of the APCPCO, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the response of the ruling party was “too casual and off-handed to impress anyone.” “It doesn’t sound convincing.
The PDP needs to take this issue more seriously to underscore its commitment to the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy and the non-violence pact entered into by the party and its presidential candidate. “It is very irresponsible for the PDP to want to distance itself from the death threat to General Buhari, made by not only a sitting governor of the PDP, but also a high-ranking member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Committee.
“Just in case the PDP had forgotten, what was Fani-Kayode thinking in his mind when he challenged General Buhari to make a jog round a field? Was it to put him through a body fitness workout or to plant a sniper somewhere around the field? “Whatever the intention of the PDP was, about the health status of General Buhari, we in the APC Campaign believe in the exclusivity of the divine role in the matters of life and death,” Shehu said.