Why electorate should reject APC, by Falae

• Party faults NCC’s order to service providers on political adverts

FOR refusing to participate in the National Conference convoked by President Goodluck Jonathan to find solutions to the myriads of problems facing the nation, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chief Olu Falae said the All Peoples Congress (APC) does not want progress for the country.

   Falae, who was the joint presidential candidate of the AD/ANPP alliance at the dawn of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, said the APC, “by condemning and campaigning against the National Conference has shown that it was anything but progressive.”

   Addressing SDP supporters yesterday at a rally in Akure, Ondo State capital during the launch of the party’s campaign in the state, Falae urged the people not to vote for “a party that refused to seize an opportunity to restructure Nigeria.”

   He specifically appealed to the people to vote for SDP’s National Assembly candidates during the election “because as our party is for the progress of this country and our leaders participated at the confab, our legislators would be able to contribute meaningfully to its implementation unlike those who were against it ab initio.” 

   Meanwhile, the APC has condemned the directive by the National Communications Commission (NCC), to all service providers to avoid running political/advertisement promotions that will portray them as being partisan and has threatened to sanction any service provider that flouts this rule.

   The party alleged that the Federal Government is collaborating with relevant institutions like the NCC, to block its ability to use the platforms of SMS, ring tones and scratch cards to raise funds.

   Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that by doing so, the same body, a national institution, that is warning service providers against running political/advertisements promotions in order not to be portrayed as partisan has itself become a tool of crass partisanship.

   Mohammed recalled that Governor Babatunde Fashola addressed a press conference on Tuesday in his capacity as the Director of the Campaign Fund-Raising Committee for our party’s presidential campaign.

  “The purpose of the press conference was to unveil the five platforms through which interested Nigerians can make monetary contributions to the Buhari-Osinbajo campaign. The platforms are: banks, E-payment, SMS, ring tones and scratch card.”