Shettima must be suffering from amnesia – PDP

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a swipe at the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, after the former Borno State governor described the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as a political tourist, who will be permanently retired to the United Arab Emirates after the 2023 election.

Shettima, who spoke at the presentation of the manifesto of the APC to the business community and organized private sector in Lagos on Tuesday, questioned the former Nigerian vice president’s academic qualification, saying the certificate Atiku got from the Kano School of Hygiene only qualifies him to be a “wole wole,” a Yoruba word for sanitation inspection officers.

But the PDP, in a news release issued by its Presidential Campaign Council and signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Dele Momodu, said: “We have watched in utter incredulity and amazement the boldfaced speech made yesterday by the APC vice presidential candidate, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, at an event in Lagos.

“He alleged gleefully that the PDP presidential candidate, H.E Atiku Abubakar, cannot unite Nigeria when ‘he has not united his own political party’.

“It is our belief that Alhaji Shettima, in a moment of deliberate amnesia, must have tried to point fingers at the specks in another man’s eyes while studiously ignoring the giant logs in his own eyes.

“The APC is in total disarray with prominent members of his party openly apologising to Nigerians for the unmitigated disaster it has foisted on Nigeria since 2015. This is one of the reasons APC members have been migrating in droves to PDP.

“It took almost forever for APC to achieve the simple task of constituting its Presidential Campaign Council, due to the total lack of unity in their party. It is very obvious that APC has become completely rudderless and many self-respecting members are jumping ship and being recovered by PDP.

“How can these APC candidates ever unite Nigerians when they’ve shown open disdain for the democratic and voting rights of certain ethnic groups within their domains?

“Everything about APC and its candidates have been shrouded in secrecy and they are just unable to tell Nigerians the truth about anything. How can Nigerians be expected to place their faith in such mysterious characters?

“Alhaji Shettima alleged that Atiku Abubakar cannot be trusted with the economy of Nigeria. No heresy could be worse than this. Nigerians would want to know what businesses the APC candidates have managed personally and successfully except living outlandishly on government booty and largesse.

“Atiku Abubakar started business as a teenager and served meritoriously as a government officer in the Customs where he assisted so many Igbo traders, according to available testimonies.”