The massive turnout of Nigerians at the campaign grounds of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the south, ahead of the February 14 presidential election, is unsettling the Presidency and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to National Mirror.The region is generally believed to be the natural catchment area for President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP, while the north is thought to be the stronghold of both the APC and Buhari.But the huge crowd that has been pouring into the APC campaign grounds is pushing the Presidency to think of re-strategising for the ruling party’s campaign.National Mirror reported that Buhari had campaigned in Rivers, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, the president’s home town, Imo and Enugu states, with massive crowd attending each of the campaign.APC however said that the successes recorded by its campaign train in the south were due to the candidate’s large followership and the knowledge of the need of the people.“For instance, he knew that in Ebonyi, the only resources they have there is rice plantation, so he promised them that he would make the state a rice capital of the world.“Enugu has large coal deposit and he promised effective utilisation of the material to solve the energy need of the nation.“He addressed the issue of Ogoni. You need to see the crowd that trooped out even in the president’s own state, Bayelsa.“But the president has not been addressing issues. He goes about abusing individuals, leaving out issues. Can you believe that at this critical point in time, he is still taking the persons of Obasanjo, MEND, Tinubu and so on.“We expected a serious campaign to proffer solutions to corruption and insecurity, but what do we get, a president that is busy apportioning blames,” a member of the APC Campaign Council told our correspondent in Abuja yesterday.Mr. Osita Okechukwu, spokesman, South East APC told our correspondent that the South is rooting for Buhari now because Nigerians generally are yearning for change.“One can submit in reality that Gen. Buhari’s appeal is widening, as his electoral chances are growing by the day, unlike in 2003, 2007, and 2011. I think the south is coming to the hard reality that GMB represents the masses and the middle class. “He spent his public service in the collective interest of the masses and the middle class and hence the celestial bond between him and the masses and the middle class.“President Jonathan’s woeful performance more or less energised the GMB appeal in the south; they have come to the inevitable conclusion that Mr. President lacks the political will to either fight Boko Haram or fight corruption. And it’s trite that the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the citizenry,” he said.It was gathered that with the campaign soon to shift to the north and with anti-Jonathan sentiment already springing up in several places in the region, the Presidency is growing grey hair on how to convince the people, particularly in the north east to vote for President Jonathan.The campaign vehicles of President Jonathan and some of his sympathisers have been attacked in Kano, Gombe and Plateau states in recent days.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 05:00:46 +0000
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