9th February, 2011
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said if the ACN governors are ‘rascals’ as they were characterised by President Goodluck Jonathan, then Nigeria needs more ‘rascals’ in governance so they can enjoy the dividends of democracy that are being delivered by those rascals with a cause.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said that for example, the ‘rascal’ in Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, has touched the lives of everyone in the state in the areas of security, good roads, education and standard medical care, just to mention a few, in less than one third of the time the PDP non-rascals have been in charge of Nigeria with nothing to show for it.
It said the ‘rascal’ in Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, has turned around the fortunes of a state in which the PDP governors who preceded him in office could only have dreamt of, while the ‘rascals’ in Ekiti and Osun (Kayode Fayemi and Rauf Aregbesola respectively), who are new in the saddle, are already restoring hope to their people, who were literally battered and bruised by their usurper PDP governors.
ACN said while it will not want to match President Jonathan on the use of foul language, it will however advise him to remember that he remains the President of all Nigerians, not that of the PDP and its supporters, even when he is giddy with excitement on the soap box.
”We believe that President Jonathan, in saying that the South-west region is too important to be left to rascals, is a victim of the vicious battering he received from his opponent as the two engaged in unprecedented mudslinging in their campaign for the PDP presidential ticket. It is common knowledge that both exhausted all the denigrating and demeaning words available as they tore at each other.
”But that battle is over and the President should sheath his sword and refrain from using words that can only make him look unpresidential, no matter how tempting,” the party said. ”Even as the presidential candidate of the PDP, he remains today the President of Nigeria. For
that reason, we will not exchange words with him but concentrate on issues.
”The issues that will improve the lives of our long-suffering people – better education, world class infrastructure, improved living standard, decent wages, security of lives and property, as well as the restoration of the dignity of Nigerians, among others – will dominate our campaign in the days ahead, not the use of foul language that has been patented by the President’s benefactor.”
It noted, however, that it will remain a pipe dream for the PDP to think it can wrest from the ACN any of the states currently being controlled by the party (ACN).
”Honestly, we think the PDP should be more concerned about losing more states to the ACN than wresting any from our party.
”If the insinuation is that the PDP will resort to the same rigging and brigandage which have brought the party nothing but disgrace, then those behind such thoughts should have a re-think, as Nigerians have decided that they will use all constitutional means to make sure their votes will count in April and in subsequent elections,” ACN warned..