A group parading itself as the Peoples Democratic Party Media Watchdog has called for the President’s resignation.
However the party has distanced itself from the group. National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said “This group is absolutely unknown to the PDP and has no connection whatsoever with our party at any level, neither is the content of their statement a reflection of the position or stance of the party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our great party has not authorised this group to use its name, acronym or logo to issue statements or make public pronouncements on any matter and we caution those behind them to henceforth desist from such immediately.
“The PDP therefore distances itself from the embarrassing statement by this group wherein it called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign and went ahead to use offensive and denigrating language on the person and office of the president of our great country.
“Furthermore, recall that the PDP had earlier informed the public and the media that only statements issued by the National Chairman, the National Secretary, the National Publicity Secretary or any other officer of the party authorised by the National Working Committee (NWC) should be regarded or reported as the position of the PDP on any matter.
“In this regard, any group or individuals seeking to use the identity of the PDP on any issue should approach the leadership for authorisation. We urge the media and the general public to be guided by this always.”
The All Progressives Congress also described the group as a product of bad judgement and poor thinking.
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement said “What President Buhari was saying, which was lost on those who issued that jejune statement, is that only his love and passion for the country could have made him, at his age, to come out of retirement to seek the office of the president, over 30 years after he presided over the affairs of the country.
“For 16 years, Nigerians gave the PDP the benefit of the doubt to move the country forward, but instead, the party put Nigeria in reverse gear at high speed, spinning it towards a doomsday that was only averted when Nigerians showed the PDP the red card.
“This is what necessitated President Buhari to continuously seek the country’s highest political office, so he can help put the country on forward march again. Nothing else matters, not for him the excitement of an office he previously held and the quest for personal accomplishment.
“If the country had been well managed, President Buhari will not at 72 be crisscrossing the whole world seeking solution to Nigeria’s problems.”
“Within three weeks of President Buhari’s inauguration, he had done what the PDP government could not do in six years: Invigorate the fight against Boko Haram by rallying a regional and global front against the terror group.
“Today, the US has pledged to give $5 million for the fight against Boko Haram, in addition to other material support. This is apart from the support that has been pledged by the G-7 for Nigeria’s efforts to quell the insurgency.
“Thanks to President Buhari’s shuttle diplomacy, the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) that the PDP government could not bring together for all of six years is ready to deploy next month, while the president has ordered the release of $21 million to facilitate the establishment of the headquarters of the force in N’Djamena, Chad.
“Since assuming office about three weeks ago, President Buhari has visited Chad, Niger, Germany and South Africa, winning support and friends for Nigeria all over again and returning the country to the comity of respected nations.
“Those who were put off by the PDP government’s resort to politicising the fight against Boko Haram – even as the insurgents grew stronger – are now joining President Buhari to battle the terrorists. In no distant future, the results of his tireless efforts will begin to show.
“On the domestic front, President Buhari has been handling pressing issues far away from the klieg light, and his efforts to assemble a first class team to implement his change mantra, which he is personally driving, are continuing apace.
“We in the APC, and we are sure most unbiased Nigerians, are very proud of President Buhari and the vigour he has shown in governance, the kind of vigour we did not see in the immediate past administration that was presided over by a far younger man.”