\n
\nBy Femi Fani-Kayode<\/p>\nOur coming to Umuahia today, as the media team of the Peoples
\nDemocratic Party (PDP) Campaign Organisation, to address you on very
\nsalient political issues less than three weeks to the Presidential
\nelection in our country is very significant.<\/p>\nSince you are part of the vibrant Nigerian media we are convinced that
\nyou are all aware of our efforts, over the last few weeks, to put the
\npolitical issues in Nigeria in proper perspective while presenting the
\nvery robust and time-tested stewardship of our presidential candidate,
\nPresident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the Nigerian electorate.<\/p>\nIn the process, we have beamed a searchlight on the camp of our
\nopponents, while specifically bringing into the public space the very
\ndark side of the All Progressives Congress (APC). We have exposed
\ntheir perjurous, corruptive and crooked ways in our nation’s history,
\nour current affairs and our political life.\u00a0 Along the line we have
\nsucceeded in putting their Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu
\nBuhari in a fix, marking him down on the basis of his glaring
\nincapacity to do anything meaningful or positive for our nation and
\nfor bringing our nation into utter shame and disrepute before the
\ninternational community whilst he was military Head of State and when
\nhe led the most brutal, sadistic and callous government in the history
\nof Nigeria. Under Buhari between 1983 and 1985 Nigeria was turned into
\na massive slave camp in which manmy were tortured, brutalised,
\nhumiliated, killed and sent to jail without any due process or
\nevidence of wrongdoing.<\/p>\nThat is his legacy to the Nigerian people. We thank God for the
\ncourage of General Ibrahim Babangida and all those that risked their
\nlives and saw fit to remove him from office in 1985. Yet today,
\nGeneral Mohammadu Buhari, that same man that staged a coup d’etat
\nagainst a democratically-elected President in 1983, that same man that
\nwas himself removed from office in 1985 by another coup d’etat and
\nthat same man after whose removal our people rejoiced in the streets
\nnow wants to be a democratically-elected President himself. He has
\ntried three times before and has failed yet he keeps trying. We
\nconsider it as part of our job to stop him from achieving this
\nambition because we regard him as being nothing but a plague and an
\naffliction to the Nigerian people.<\/p>\nOur drive in this regard is to help obviate a catastrophic political
\nfuture for Nigeria simply by ensuring that a wrong candidate does not
\nride on the crest of crass propaganda to become the President of this
\ncountry. It behoves on us and other well-meaning Nigerians to ensure
\nthat a man whose health status, academic records and mental state are
\nshrouded in secrecy does not crawl into power through the back door to
\nlead Nigeria.<\/p>\nWe can assure you that our campaign, since we started, has been issues
\nbased. In this regard we believe that Buhari himself, his utterances,
\nhis persona, his actions over the last few years and his record in
\npublic office are in themselves major and relevant issues. We intend
\nto continue to subject General Buhari to public scrutiny and we will
\nnot derail in keeping to that standard until our candidate, President
\nGoodluck Jonathan, a man of destiny, compassion and character, \u00a0wins
\nthe coming Presidential election.<\/p>\nGentlemen of the media, we are in Umuahia to look into a very touching
\nand mind boggling issue.\u00a0 We came into this beautiful city last night
\nafter a tour of some states in the Eastern region over the past three
\ndays. During our tour we met with some key Ibo leaders. We attended
\ncaucus meetings with them and the questions that kept on coming up on
\nthe issue of the presidential election centered on the role General
\nMuhammadu Buhari played in the very sad events of the night of January
\n29, 1966, when a coup d’\u00e9tat took place in our country and when no
\nless than 300 Igbo army officers, a sitting Head of State, General
\nAguiyi-Ironsi and a serving Governor of the old Western Region,
\nColonel Fajuyi, were killed in the most brutal fashion in less than 24
\nhours. It is important for us to look into this today, considering the
\nfact that General Buhari is aspiring to be the next President of
\nNigeria.<\/p>\nThe Nigerian people have a right to know the truth about Buhari’s role
\nin the tragic events of that night and they do not deserve to be kept
\nin the dark. We deserve to know who did what, who to and how many
\ntimes. That is the message that I got from most of the igbo leaders
\nthat I met on this tour and that is certainly the feeling of most
\nNigerians. The days of feeding our people with half-truths and telling
\nthem not to discuss the ugly events of the past are long over. It does
\nnot stop there.<\/p>\nThe other issues that were raised centered on the role General Buhari
\nallegedly played during the very tragic events in the core north in
\nthe mid-60’s just before the civil war when no less than 100,000
\ninnocent and defenceless Igbo civilians, mainly women and children,
\nwere killed within a period of three months by irate and well armed
\nlocal mobs. Many have asked and wondered whether it is true that
\nGeneral Buhari was amongst those that covertly orchestrated and
\nencouraged those killings and that supported the slaughter of these
\ninnocent and helpless citizens. We consider this issue most relevant
\ntoday because this same man, who some people have alleged was involved
\nin this carnage and genocide, is desperate to become the next
\nPresident of Nigeria.<\/p>\nWe give thanks to God that Igboland is now a vital and integral part
\nof a united and indivisible Nigeria and that the pains of the civil
\nwar are many years behind us yet the wounds inflicted on our minds
\nmust be healed, and completely too. This can only be done by the
\nexposion and enunciation of truth and when those that committed the
\nmost heinous atrocities against innocent civilians, women and
\nchildren, even many years ago, are brought to justice. This can only
\nbe done after the souls of the innocents that were slaughtered are
\nappeased by ensuring that anyone, no matter how highly placed, that
\ncommitted or encouraged any crimes against humanity or ethnic
\ncleansing, at any point in time in our history, against their fellow
\nNigerians are brought to book. \u00a0\u00a0The best way to do that is not to
\ndismiss these grave and serious questions because this man was accused
\nof participating in the terrible atrocities against the Igbo both on
\nJanuary 29, 1966 and during the course of the massacre of innocent
\ncivilians in the north in September, October and November 1966.<\/p>\nAt this juncture we must ask this painful yet pertinent question: is
\nit true that the blood of the Igbo people ran up to the knees of
\nGeneral Buhari on the night of July 29, 1966. These questions were put
\nto General Buhari during the sitting of the late Justice Chukwudufu
\nOputa-led \u00a0panel in 2001, and instead of him to answer them
\naccordingly, for attendant matters to be settled once and for all and,
\nif these allegations were indeed true, for him to ask for forgiveness,
\nGeneral Buhari refused to turn up and answer them. Instead of coming
\nclean and making use of this historic opportunity to settle the matter
\nonce and for all and make peace, Buhari went to court to ask for an
\ninjunction to restrain the Panel from compelling him to come and give
\nanswers. This is very unfortunate and it is nothing but a sad and
\ngraphic reflection of his unrepentant and vicious mindset. The truth
\nis that it is because he failed to face the Oputa Panel and answer
\nthose questions 14 years ago that we are still asking those questions
\ntoday.<\/p>\nThe Igbo people of the Eastern Nigeria have suffered immeasurably over
\nthe years in this country and we are glad to say that in the past two
\nyears, they have been able to hold their heads high under the
\nleadership of President Goodluck Jonathan. We are also happy to say
\nthat this is the time for the Igbo , who are full blooded Nigerians
\nlike every other person in this country, to rise up and show General
\nBuhari and anyone else who may have had a hand in the atrocities that
\nwere committed in the ’60s against them that they were, indeed,
\nwronged.<\/p>\nThe only way the Igbo can do this is by refusing to vote for General
\nBuhari in the coming Presidential election \u00a0\u00a0and we do not think that
\nany self-respecting igbo man would vote for a General who many believe
\nmay have participated in the killing of their people, both\u00a0on July 29<\/a>,
\n1966 and in the ’60s when the pogrom took place. Again it does not
\nstop there.<\/p>\nDuring the Nigerian civil war, one of the most terrible and barbaric
\nacts that ever took place was in Asaba. That was when Federal forces
\nmarched in and liberated Asaba from the control of Biafran soldiers
\nduring the civil war. The Federal troops that re-took Asaba ordered
\nevery single igbo male civilian, including many young boys, \u00a0to
\nassemble at the center of the town. After doing that, they lined them
\nup and shot every single one of them in cold blood. These were not
\nsoldiers but unarmed and defenceless civilians.\u00a0 This was a wicked
\nact, a monumental tragedy and it has become a sore point in the
\nhistory of our country. I was in Asaba two days \u00a0ago during this tour
\nand I could not but remember and ponder on that ugly and shameful
\nepisode.<\/p>\nIt is important for us to remember that day because one of the
\nallegations against General Buhari that was to be put to him at the
\nOputa panel was that he was amongst the division that took part in the
\nmassacre and that ordered those killings. If this is true it makes him
\nan automatic candidate for the International Criminal Court at the
\nHague for crimes against humanity and war crimes.\u00a0 Since he refused to
\nface the Oputa panel to answer these questions, we are here today,
\noffering him the opportunity to do so. General Buhari, in essence,
\nshould tell the Nigerian people; whether he was in Asaba at that time,
\nwhether he participated in the killing of those innocent civilians,
\nwhether, if it is true, he is ready to repent now and whether he can
\nfind it in his heart to apologise, not just to the Igbo people, but to
\nthe Nigerian nation for these acts of genocide.<\/p>\nWe considered it germane to ask these questions here because we are on
\nthe soil of Igboland. This is because it is the sons and daughters
\nfrom this soil that suffered the pains of the atrocities that were
\ncommitted. It is also relevant for us to ask these questions here in
\nUmuahia, the epicenter of Igboland and the birth place of General
\nAgunyi Ironsi, who was the first Igbo to ever become the Head of State
\nof Nigeria and who was killed six months after he took office. All
\nalong, concerned Igbo leaders have been asking these questions in
\nhushed tones and they all want answers.<\/p>\nOur duty as a responsible, compassionate and civilized campaign
\norganisation is to put the questions to General Buhari and demand
\nexplanations from him especially in view of the fact that he is
\nseeking the mandate to run the affairs of this nation.<\/p>\nBesides the mind boggling allegations against General Buhari in the
\nmassacre of Ibos in the ’60, we would also like to express our doubts
\nabout his ability and competence to manage the economy of our country
\nif elected President. We say this because we are mindful of the fact
\nthat he has repeatedly failed to display the discipline, acumen and
\ncreativity that is required in starting and managing a personal
\nbusiness for survival years after leaving office as Head of State.<\/p>\nWe allude to this against the background that other retired Generals
\nand Heads of State that we know in Nigeria including General Olusegun
\nObasanjo, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, General Abdulsalami
\nAbubakar, and others have been investing in farming, tertiary
\neducation, oil and gas and other enterprises.<\/p>\nIf General Buhari has been receiving pension, gratuities and other
\nfinancial benefits like other \u00a0retired Generals from different
\nquarters since he left Government, he should tell the Nigerian people
\nwhich business venture he has ever set up for his own well-being and
\nthat of other Nigerians. We believe that our dear General would have
\ndone himself proud even if all he could do was to set up a pure water
\nmanufacturing business that could keep younger Nigerians around him in
\ngainful employment. Yet even this he failed to do. This is a man that
\nwants to be elected President of a country that has the largest
\neconomy in black Africa..<\/p>\nWe found it painful to contend that what General Buhari, a former Head
\nof State of Nigeria has been doing often times is proclaiming himself
\npoor with a saintly gesture that portrays him as Mr. Clean. This is
\nfar from the truth!<\/p>\nWe will not forget to mention that since he left office, the only
\nnational assignment General Buhari handled was the Chairmanship of the
\nPetroleum Technology Fund (PTF) which eventually exposed his inability
\nto handle such critical and sensitive tasks.<\/p>\nIndeed, the Haroun Adamu Report on PTF exposed the other side of
\nGeneral Buhari as it indicted the PTF interventionist agency he
\nheaded. It was stated in the report that the sum of N25 billion
\ndisappeared from the coffers of PTF under Buhari’s leadership. The
\nindictment of the Buhari’s PTF is a moral burden on him, most
\nespecially on the issue of corruption against which he has been
\nclaiming to be a saint. The question now is; can Nigerians credit this
\nman with the ability to manage a huger task of running the affairs of
\na complex country like Nigeria, given his performance at PTF?<\/p>\nBy way of contrast we are delighted that President Goodluck Jonathan,
\nour Presidential candidate, has continued to stand tall.\u00a0 Today, his
\ngovernment has managed to achieve a soul-lifting record by re-writing
\nthe story of the Igbo in Nigeria, given the numerous federal projects
\nhis government has cited in the every part of the south-eastern zone
\nof Nigeria.<\/p>\nHis unflagging love for the south-east zone has crystallized in a high
\nnumber of Igbo sons and daughters serving in the present Federal
\nCabinet. President Jonathan’s government, as you know, was the first
\nto appoint an Igbo military officer as the Chief Of Army staff.
\nRecords have shown that it is only the government of President
\nJonathan that re-constructed the Enugu International Airport while
\nalso remodeling the Imo Airport. Indeed, the conversion of the Enugu
\nAirport to an International Airport is considered critical to the
\neconomic survival of the people of the Southeast. We are happy to list
\nthe ability of people from south-east to tap from the You-Win
\ninitiative of the Jonathan’s government for economic benefits.<\/p>\nThe government holds the credit for constructing the Enugu-Port
\nHarcourt dual carriage way as well as the rehabilitation of the
\nEnugu-Port Harcourt rail-line. We will not forget to mention the
\nconstruction of the second Niger Bridge which was started by President
\nJonathan.<\/p>\nThe south-east states have also benefited from the progress recorded
\nby the education sector under the government of President Jonathan
\nwith federal universities built in Ebonyi, Abia, Imo and Enugu states.<\/p>\nLet me seize this opportunity to dispel the shameful deceit and
\npropaganda of the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. He
\nhas said that the Igbo people should not waste their votes by
\ninvesting them in our Presidential candidate on the basis that the
\nrest of Nigeria will vote for Buhari. This is a lie from the pit of
\nhell. Okorocha knows very well that all parts of Nigeria are rooting
\nfor President Jonathan, including the north where General Buhari hails
\nfrom. We trust that you will never be cowed by the APC’s cheap
\npropaganda and false claims.<\/p>\nAll we can tell doubting Thomas like Okorocha is to wait for the
\noutcome of the\u00a0March 28<\/a>\u00a0Presidential election which will ultimately
\nteach Buhari and APC the most bitter lesson of their lives.<\/p>\nWe take this opportunity to congratulate our host and friend Governor
\nTheodore \u00a0Orji, a faithful, dependable and committed leader of the
\nPDP, for the wonderful work that he has done in the state over the
\nlast eight years and we commend him for his courage, steadfastness and
\nrugged determination whilst steering the affairs of Abia. Before
\nGovernor Theodore Orji became governor of Abia state the state had the
\nnotorious title of being the nation’s kidnap capital. He came on the
\nscene and within a short period of time he reversed the trend, put an
\nend to kidnapping and transformed the state into one of the most
\npeaceful and safe, crime-free states in the Federation.<\/p>\nThis he achieved amongst many other things for the good people of
\nAbia. He is a great governor and not only has he done Abia proud but
\nhe has also done Nigeria and the PDP proud.\u00a0 We register our
\nunflinching support for his ambition to go to the Senate in the April
\nelections and we have no doubt that he will prevail and win an
\noutstanding victory.<\/p>\nWe also register our support for all our other candidates for the
\nSenate, the Federal House of Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly
\nin the coming elections. A special mention must be made of our
\ngovernorship candidate for Abia state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who is a
\nprofoundly good man and who will make an outstanding governor. We urge
\nthe people of Abia state to support him and all our other candidates
\nin the\u00a0March 28th<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 8th<\/a>\u00a0elections.<\/p>\n