PDP Faults APC Over 'Foreigners For Campaign' Strategy
Says opposition party has no respect for Nigerian professionals SAN FRANCISCO, February 19, (THEWILL) - The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday expressed shock over the announcement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it has engaged the services of a foreign firm, AKPD Message and Media, to boost its electoral chances in the 2015 elections, admonishing Nigerians to resist what it described as the attempt by APC to throw the nation back to imperialism, 54 years after independence.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, the ruling party said this was not only a clear justification of its stand that the APC is anti-Nigeria but another insult on the hard working citizens of the country.
'In engaging the services of a foreign firm, the APC has shown that it does not have faith in our people, our indigenous consultancy firms and the teeming well qualified, world acclaimed Nigerian professionals and technocrats.
Just as the leopard cannot change its spots, so also is the APC unable to hide its true colour as an anti-people organisation, tied to the apron string of foreign interests in utter disdain for fellow Nigerians and the age long clamour for local content,' the statement said.
Alleging that APC has an inner contempt for Nigerians, PDP said the latest action by the opposition party is not only an affront to nationalism but a weird embrace of neo-colonialism at a time national pride and assertiveness have assumed a rule of engagement in global politics.
' We are afraid that neo-colonialism is the guiding ethos of the APC's quest to rule Nigeria.
It is now apparent that the leadership of this opposition party may have perfected plans to use same foreign interests to siphon national resources and reverse the pro-national socio-economic foundation laid by the founding fathers of Nigeria.
," the statement said.
Maintaining that 'there is no way the APC can justify this crime against our people,' PDP said 'Nigerians are discerning enough to see the clever attempt to cover this monumental insult by dropping the name of President Obama, who was duly re-elected by the popular votes of the people of the United States as a beneficiary of this consultancy service.
" According to the PDP, "This ulterior motive of the APC explains the reason it has mindlessly been opposing and attacking all the people oriented projects and policies of the PDP-led Federal Government which have enthroned an unprecedented empowerment of indigenous firms, an economic agenda strongly embedded in the manifesto of our great party, seeking the transfer of wealth from public institutions to the private sector.
" The statement added: "Unlike the APC whose ideological thrust is to relegate Nigerians and their indigenous firms, the PDP believes in Nigerians and will continue to work with them and to create the enabling environment for hardworking private individuals and indigenous firms to thrive in all fields of endeavour including media, manufacturing, trade, commerce and other critical sectors of the economy.
'This explains why companies like Intel Services, Globacom, AIT, Dangote, Oando, UBA and a host of other ingenious firms have continued to excel and compete favourably with their peers all over the world, a trend the APC wants to scuttle.
' PDP therefore urged Nigerians to continue to note what it described as the unpatriotic and anti-people actions of the APC, saying all well- meaning Nigerians must rise up and resist the APC.
PDP also maintained that 'a party which has clearly shown that it has no regard for the talents of the people it seeks to govern can never win the trust of Nigerians.
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