PDP, Alli’s daughter, kinsmen campaign against Buhari in Edo

ELDERS, leaders, youths and women of Esanland and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State have vowed to avenge the death of their kinsman, Governor Ambrose Alli, as a result illness he contacted in while serving prison sentence imposed by the Major-General Muhammadu Buhari-led junta in 1984. 

  Consequently, they are mobilising against the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the February 14, 2015 election.

  In an emotion-laden voice at a PDP rally in Esanland, Ms Rosemary Alli, the first daughter of Prof. Alli, told the crowd that the Buhari military regime jailed her father at all cost “despite the pleas from family and associates for his release.” 

  She urged all Nigerians, children and relatives of political detainees under Buhari to shun him and his APC and cast their votes for President Jonathan.

  “I have come to beg you people to, please, give your votes to President Jonathan en masse because Buhari did havoc to my daddy,” Ms Alli said.

  “He killed my daddy; he put my daddy in detention for good one year without any reason. Let them write to say that my father did not know anything about the N983,000 and they said no. 

  “They wanted to jail my daddy at all cost. For that reason, I am begging you people, as long the children of political detainees live, Buhari will never rule this country. 

  “Please, I want to use this opportunity to ask you to vote for other PDP candidates.”

  Prof. Alli was governor of old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta) on the platform of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) between 1979 and 1983.

  Speakers at the campaigns drummed support for President Jonathan’s re-election and other PDP candidates for the national and state legislative polls.   

  They said that Jonathan remains the nation’s choice having done much to unite the various sections of the polity with landmark achievements in massive network of roads, railway, agriculture, health and others.

  The state Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, said: “My coming here is to greet you, urge you, plead with you and ask you to join hands with other patriotic Nigerians to re-elect Mr. President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

  “I want to remind you that those, who are leaders of APC, don’t mean well for our people. 

  “Under the regime of former Head of State, Buhari, I will recall that your own son the best governor we have ever had, the first elected civilian governor this state ever had, Professor Ambrose Alli, was punished and sent to prison for no just cause by those who are calling for change. 

  “They cannot bring change. You don’t change from what is good to bad. You only change from bad to good. 

  “So, we must continue to vote for what is good and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan stands for what is good for Nigeria.”

  Former minister of Foreign Affairs and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Tom Ikimi, urged people of Esanland, the state and Nigerians to champion the struggle towards ensuring that “a south-southerner from the minority tribe in South-South will not be oppressed by irredentist Islamist.”

  He said: “The next general election must not be a gamble. Therefore President Jonathan, a man who is humble, a man who has done what no other has done since 1999, must be allowed his second term.

  “The truth of the matter is that we now stand on the threshold of the next general election. The next election will be 14 of February, the day when lovers take their friends to have a meal. 

  “On that day, we must not make an error; the election is now between two parties, the PDP on one side and the APC, which I created on the other side. 

  “Who can tell you about the APC more than myself? If I tell you it is good, it is good; if I tell you it is bad, no doubt it is bad.”

  Alleging that very bad people have seized the APC, Ikimi said this was not the time for the party. 

  “We have decided to let Jonathan from the South-South complete his term of eight years; in 2019, we shall give the chance to another person,” he said. 

  “General Buhari is contesting the election for the fourth time now. Gen. Buhari is now 73 years old; Jonathan is just over 60. 

  “Jonathan can read the Internet; he is IT compliant. Jonathan is a young man. So, Jonathan is this new generation. That is the change we are talking about.