PDP: Jonathan not sponsoring ethnic militias to scuttle polls

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation has dismissed as false, the claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Goodluck Jonathan administration is sponsoring ethnic militias to disrupt the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the President’s campaign office, Femi Fani-Kayode, also justified the employment and compensation given to families of the victims of the Nigerian Immigration Service employment tragedy, saying that the APC’s criticism of the gesture is unfortunate.

“It is not true that the PDP or the Federal Government is sponsoring ethnic militias. It is also not true that N9 billion has been allocated for that purpose,” he said.

“We will remain focused on the issues. We will talk about their weaknesses and we will also talk about the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan on why it is important that he is re-elected on March 28. That is our focus,” he said.

On the APC’s claim that the PDP and the Federal Government were trying to garner cheap political profit from the calamity that befell some young Nigerians with the employment and compensations to the families of the victims of the NIS employment tragedy, Fani-Kayode said.

“Mr. President’s gesture concerning the victims of the calamity that took place last year when all those young people were killed was a noble gesture and was simply an acknowledgment of the fact that these people died under very sad circumstances.

“It was simply an attempt to alleviate the suffering and pain of the families of those that were killed and no right-thinking person will read any other meaning to that.

“It was a reflection of the compassion and the inherent goodness that reside in Mr. President’s heart and I think every patriotic and right-thinking Nigerian should commend him for that and not talk about feeding off people’s calamity.