Presidency warns Buhari to abstain from False and Derogatory Comments about the Country during his Campaign
President Goodluck Jonathan has said he is disappointed at General Muhammadu Buhari’s ”reckless, baseless and unsupportable” comments during his campaign.
The President released a statement through his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Reuben Abati saying: ”the Presidency wholly rejects the allegations made by General Buhari against the Jonathan Administration at the declaration of his intention to contest the 2015 presidential elections as an irresponsible denigration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s sincere efforts, over the past four years, to positively transform Nigeria.
“It reflects very badly on the character of the political opposition we now have in Nigeria, that a political leader of General Buhari’s stature will deliberately make such false and uncharitable comments about the elected leadership of his country, merely for personal and sectional political gain.
“The falsity of General Buhari’s anti-Jonathan and anti-PDP claims will be obvious to knowledgeable Nigerians and friends of the country, but for the benefit of others we affirm that there is absolutely no truth whatsoever in his charge that ‘the last 16 years of PDP Government has witnessed a decline in all critical sectors of life in Nigeria’ or that ‘the economy continues to deteriorate’.
“Statistics and rankings from the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other international economic agencies give the lie to General Buhari’s claims on the state of the Nigerian economy.
“As is well known, available figures, statistics and ratings show that the Nigerian economy has consistently maintained an unprecedented growth rate of 6-7% under the Jonathan administration. They also show that the Nigerian economy is now the leading economy in Africa and the 26th largest in the world with a gross domestic product of over $500 billion per annum.
“His most uncharitable and inexcusable accusation against the present administration was that election rigging continues to thrive in Nigeria.
“Despite the other false accusations General Buhari made against the President, who he clearly fears to take on in an honest, issues-driven presidential election contest, President Jonathan will continue to carry forward his transformation agenda in the power sector and other areas.
“The President will not be discouraged or deterred from his objective of repositioning Nigeria for accelerated and inclusive socio-economic development by the partisan and jaundiced views of power seekers like General Buhari who cannot see the obvious results of the current administration’s efforts through their blinkered eyes.
“All that General Buhari promises to do are already being done by the Jonathan Administration to the acclaim of ordinary Nigerians and there is no evidence before Nigerians that the APC leader and his acolytes can do them better.
“The retired General is free to renege on his well-publicized pledge not to seek elective office again, as he has done, but we urge him to conduct his presidential campaign with greater regard for the truth.
“We also urge him to eschew unbecoming false accusations against others like a true elder statesman and to focus his campaign on more original ideas for the promotion of peace, stability, unity and progress in our beloved nation.”
