Nigeria’s ruling party, the PDP has urged organisers of political rallies in support of some individuals ahead of the 2015 general elections to desist from mentioning names of its officials at such rallies.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Olisa Metuh, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
It was not clear whether Metuh was responding to the criticism of the All Progressives Congress that described rallies being organised nationwide by the PDP group, Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, as disdainful of Nigeria’s electoral laws and even the mood of the nation.
APC in a statement by its publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said: “If President Goodluck Jonathan had not been running a government hallmarked by impunity, there is no way any political party would have brazenly kick-started electioneering campaign under the guise of an ”NGO” that is coordinated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ministers, State Governors and other public officials, at a time like this.”
”The PDP-led Federal Government and its ‘NGO’ called TAN are bare-faced liars and cheats. They have seized an undue advantage over every other party by defying the nation’s laws to start an early electioneering campaign, and no one, not even INEC, dares call them to order! Little wonder, their podiums are collapsing under the weight of their lies,” it said.
The PDP publicity secretary in his statement did not make any reference to this criticism, but analysts said he was reacting indirectly to the issues raised by trying to distance the party officials from the rallies organised by groups such as TAN.
Metuh said: “we recognise the inalienable right of citizens under the amended 1999 Constitution to freely associate and publicly express their support for persons of their choice.
“However, we wish to restate in the strongest possible terms that no official of the PDP at any level should for any reason, be involved in such events until after the primaries.
“In this regard, all support groups struggling for legitimacy, supremacy or recognition should henceforth desist from trying to actualise such by using names of officials of the PDP.”
According to him, this is the last warning to all such support groups.
He stated that the party would not hesitate to take strict measures against any further infraction on its integrity and that of its officials.
He added that the leadership of the PDP recognised party officials as unbiased umpires, with a sacred duty to observe the dictates of internal democracy.
Metuh said that “for this reason, all party officials are expected to remain neutral until the emergence of candidates through party primaries, in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.”
President Goodluck Jonathan recently came on hard on one of such supports groups with the #BringBackPresidentGoodluckJonathan2015 sign.
The President asked the group behind the sign, which was becoming obvious in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some major cities, to bring down all of the billboards bearing the sign.
The President said the sign was perceived to be a mockery of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
The #BringBackOurGirls campaign was born months ago to champion the release of the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from their hostel at Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno, by the Boko Haram insurgents.