APC planning military intervention, Fani-Kayode alleges

The Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, raised a fresh alarm on Monday that the opposition All Progressives Congress was planning to mobilise Nigerians to demand a military intervention if President Goodluck Jonathan wins the forthcoming presidential election.

Fani-Kayode

Fani-Kayode, who addressed journalists in Abuja, said details of the alleged plot were contained in a nine-minute video produced by the APC, which he said contained ridiculous allegations against Jonathan and members of his cabinet.

He also said the video exposed the opposition party’s plot to mobilise Nigerians against Jonathan’s government by pushing for a military intervention to terminate the current administration.

He said, “They went as far as to suggest that when the presidential election is fought and won and President Goodluck Jonathan emerges as the winner, that the people should call for a full scale military intervention rather than allowing Jonathan to come back.

“They also specifically asked for the targeting and assassination of key members of this administration and a number of its supporters in the event of a Jonathan victory in the coming elections.

“We say in clear terms that the video in question and the intentions of those behind it is reprehensible, irresponsible and it is unacceptable.

“We wish to take this opportunity to let the APC know that under no circumstances will we allow them to rob us of our legitimate mandate, which, hopefully, will be legitimately and freely given to the President by the Nigerian people on March 28.

“We will not also tolerate any act of violence or any attempt to assassinate anybody by their agents in the event of us winning and neither will the people of this country ever allow another military intervention.”

Fani-Kayode explained that the latest video, which he said was produced by a group called “APC New Video”, had been procured and secretly viewed by the intelligence unit of his directorate.

The opposition, he said, had listed a number of issues and allegations, including the fact that many Nigerians were using private jets as indicative of the corrupt nature of the Jonathan administration.

He said that the APC also alleged that in the last four years, the government had spent N48bn on the Presidential Air Fleet, which, according to Fani-Kayode, is a lie.

The APC group, he added, raised issues about the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in the alleged video, insinuating that the government had a hand in the kidnapping of the girls.

He said the video captured issues about the comments of Steven Davis, the Australian negotiator who alleged that a “friend’’ of the President, Ali Modu Sheriff, was sponsoring Boko Haram.

He said, “They made all kinds of allegations, including the alleged relationship between the President of Chad, the President of Nigeria and Ali Modu Sheriff. Needless to say these allegations are baseless and they are simply unbelievable.

“Again, a lot of foreign footage is contained in the video, which suggests that there is an international dimension to the production.

“This confirms our fears and belief that the APC is being sponsored primarily by money from foreign countries and by agents of foreign governments that are hostile to the interest of our beloved nation, Nigeria.”

The APC has however dismissed the allegations by Fani-Kayode.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, “Don’t you think that the desperation of the PDP and President Jonathan knows no bounds.

“They have invested billions of naira in smear campaigns, lies, propaganda, character assassination, bribery in the name of political campaigns and all they have reaped is opprobrium and total rejection by the Nigerian people.

“They continue to throw mud with the hope that something sticks. Incidentally only yesterday an online polls conducted by Premium times gave “General Buhari 89 per cent against Jonathan’s 10 percent. The credible polls both domestic and international have given the race to General Buhari the allegations against APC are baseless.”

APC planning military intervention, Fani-Kayode alleges