The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has threatened to sue presidential spokesperson Femi Fani-Kayode, for claiming that General Muhammadu Buhari is getting funding for his election campaign from terrorist groups, such as the outlawed Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday, the APCPCO accused Fani-Kayode, who is the director of media of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign of perpetuating the religious politics that his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan is well known for, giving him one week to retract his defamatory comments or face the law.
“Never before in Nigeria’s history has the issue of religion been applied to such sinister purposes as we have seen during the years of President Jonathan’s government,” said Malam Garba Shehu, director of media and publicity of the APCPCO. “When all fails, they whip out the religious card.”
However, Malam Shehu expressed relief that Nigerians were no more being fooled by what he called “this PDP game”. According to him, General Buhari has transcended all the religious smears and, together with his running mate, Yemi Osinbajo, who is a respected pastor, has been able to show the Nigerian people that Nigeria’s growth and development is not about religion, but about a genuine desire to change the lot of the country’s citizens and move the entire nation forward.
“A majority of the world’s Muslims, including Buhari, do not approve of the Al-Qaeda, and being Muslim does not translate into being pro-ISIS,” Malam Shehu added. “Again and again, Buhari has shown commitment to ridding our country of these vermin who claim to be killing in the name of Allah, but who, in actual fact, are messengers of Satan.”
The statement gave advanced warning that when the APC takes the matter of Fani-Kayode’s baseless and libellous claims to the court next week, the party will ask that the PDP spokesperson’s international passport be impounded by way of injunction.
“There are some campaigners who obviously intend to escape from Nigeria after the handover of government from Jonathan to Buhari on May 29. That must be the reason why they can boldly make many of the reckless, irresponsible and defamatory statements that they have been mouthing off so flippantly throughout this campaign season. Either that or these people do not believe in our country’s judicial system. They don’t believe that one day; it will catch up with them,” APCPCO said.
It further warned that it would not extend the seven-day deadline given to Fani-Kayode to retract his false allegations.
According to Malam Shehu, “Let me assure the PDP federal government that, under Buhari’s government, the judiciary will work. These men will be made to pay for all the many libel and fines the courts would hopefully issue for the crimes that their big mouths have committed.”
