Garba Shehu said that candidates for political offices in other African countries want to be associated with President Buhari.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to a statement issued by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the presence of Governors from Niger Republic at its rally in Kano state on Thursday, January 31, 2019.
The PDP also accused the APC of hiring mercenaries from Niger to cause violence in the country as soon as it appears that President Buhari is losing the presidential elections.
Calling on security agencies to investigate the matter, the party said “The PDP demands an urgent and thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the presence of politicians and thugs from Niger Republic at the APC presidential rally in Kano on Thursday.
“Our security agencies must immediately investigate and lay in the public domain the circumstances leading to their presence, which more or less confirms that the APC has lost all domestic credibility and has assumed a desperate mode.
“The APC and the Presidency must immediately explain the roles being played by Issa Moussa, Governor of Zinder and his counterpart from Maradi, Zakiri Umar both of the Niger Republic, who were sighted decked in the attires and official logos of the APC, in our political affairs.
“President Buhari and the APC, in their desperation have compromised our territorial integrity as a nation and this portends grave danger to our national security and the sanctity of our electoral process.
“For a nation contending with insurgency and banditry, the involvement of mercenaries from neighboring countries in the APC rally must be condemned by all and sundry. This is particularly against the backdrop of claims by President Buhari that killer herdsmen ravaging our nation are mercenaries who are infiltrating from the Sahel region.”
The Buhari phenomenon
In its response, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu said that candidates for political offices in other African countries want to be associated with the President.
Shehu made this known in a statement which he issued on Twitter on Saturday, February 2, 2019.
The presidential spokesman said " What we want @OfficialPDPNig to know, there is a Buhari phenomenon that is sweeping across the entire continent. Candidates for national leadership in each country are doing whatever they can to understand the Buhari phenomenon, to copy it, to institute it.
“That’s why people from the African continent…when they had the presidential election in Ghana, there was a candidate who branded himself the Buhari of Ghana.
“When they had the presidential election in Chad last year, there was a Buhari of Chad. They had printed posters with their pictures with Buhari side by side.
“So, Nigeria has been gifted with an honest leader, a man endowed with rare qualities and people are trying to copy that.
“So, if our neighbours from Niger come to witness how President Buhari is doing his politics, what is the problem with that? Is there any law that is broken? Or did they see anyone that will buy vote or collect PVC?
“So, it’s jealousy. They are panicky and jealous. It should worry PDP that nobody is coming across the border to understudy PDP.”
Reports say two Governors from Niger Republic, Governor Issa Moussa of Zinder and Governor Zakiri Umar of Maradi were guests at Thursdays presidential rally.
What we want @OfficialPDPNig to know, there is a Buhari phenomenon that is sweeping across the entire continent. Candidates for national leadership in each country are doing whatever they can to understand the Buhari phenomenon, to copy it, to institute it.