Former President Goodluck Jonathan has continued to come under heavy attack from supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari over his comment that the Buhari government and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) came to power based on lies and propaganda.
Ones of the President’s support groups, the Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) yesterday reminded the former President that he ran the most corrupt government in the history of the country and has nothing concrete except monumental looting of public resources to show for his six years rule.
In a statement signed by the Chairman, Hon. Austin Braimoh, and Secretary, Chief Cassidy Madueke and made available to The Nation in Abuja, the group said it was unbecoming for the former President to paint the Buhari in bad light when Nigerians overwhelmingly rejected his government during the 2015 elections for alleged incompetence and running a government without a clear cut direction.
The statement reads in part: “to us, it was uncharitable for the former President to refer to APC as running a government of “lies and propaganda”, while at the same time attempting to impress Nigerians that he ran a faultless government with time tested achievements.
“It is unbecoming of former President Jonathan to speak of President Buhari’s government in bad light, even when majority of Nigerians home and abroad believed he ran the worst and most corrupt government ever.
“We submit that the former President should always remember that Nigerians rejected him overwhelmingly during the 2015 Presidential election on the alleged incompetent and directionless government he ran, all through, a reason he should avoid being brazenly judgemental.
“Indeed, the former President ought to be in the dock by now, answering charges on a welter of proven allegations bothering on phenomenal corruption, ineptitude, utter lack of focus and vision, all which combined to make Nigeria a pariah state under him.
“Former President Jonathan cannot claim to be a saint at this point in time when indeed, huge amounts of stolen funds running into trillions of Naira were recovered from men and women, who served in his government, including the former First Lady.
“Nigerians still remember vividly that looting of treasury was an art under the past government of Jonathan, while terrorism gained momentum uncontrollably as government officials under his watch pilfered from monies earmarked to fight terrorism without remorse
“No one is in doubt that Nigeria fell into the abyss under the Jonathan administration with a completely wreaked economy, which eventually gave way to a gripping recession that took ingenuity and wisdom from Present Buhari’s government to resolve.
“The Jonathan’s administration almost nailed the future of Nigeria, dealing a fatal blow on the system with a fraudulently contrived privatization agenda, in which only his cronies and henchmen were, mostly beneficiaries.
“In clearing the rot in the power sector, President Buhari did a rescue operation, which lifted power generation from an all time low of 2, 633MW by 2015 to 7,001MW now.
“To us, Nigerians are grateful that the achievements of the President Buhari administration, in a period of just two years, has surpassed those of the entire 6 years of the Goodluck Jonathan era.”
“We, therefore, allude to the ability of President Buhari to infuse a sense of transparency probity and accountability in the management of the national economy which has helped to curb looting, return stability to the Foreign Exchange Market while external reserve has continue to be on the sharp rise.
“It is also gratifying for Nigerians that the policy of diversification of economy has revived the agricultural sector, leaving farmers to smile to the banks amid the prospects of growth of agro-allied industries in Nigeria
“In all, we, as a group, give kudos to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the recoveries of monies and properties from Jonathan’s alleged group of mother looters, appealing to the anti-graft agency not to relent efforts in ensuring the prosecution of those found culpable”.