PDP mocks Buhari over fake Luther award, demands prosecution of officials

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as a national disgrace and embarrassment the announcement by the Presidency that the family of human right activist, Martin Luther King Jnr, conferred an award on President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, also demanded the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of all the presidency officials involved in this messy scandal and crime against our nation.

It said the “lie by President Buhari’s handlers’ smacks of desperation by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to procure international endorsement, ahead of the 2019 general elections.”

The leading opposition party said the embarrassing act has again made our nation a laughing stock before the international community.The party said the nation was jolted when the King Center distanced itself from the award and noted that, “the award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of Martin Luther King jr.”

According to the PDP, “It is now clear that Buhari’s administration, in their desperation, can fabricate and stage-manage anything, including name-dropping of international figures and agencies, in their desperate attempt to delude Nigerians, once again, now that the 2019 general election is fast approaching.”

It noted that “Nigerians have discovered that having failed to gain any endorsement from reputable international figures such as Bill Gates, the APC and the Presidency have now cheapened the nation by resorting to this despicable act of name-dropping of world-renowned human right activist, Dr. Martin Luther King jr, and has further dragged down our once sterling image before the comity of nations.”

The party observed that not many Nigerians believed in the authenticity of the award in the first place, adding that “the Buhari-led administration, by its undemocratic and anti-people proclivities, including records of violations of rights of citizens, is not deserving of any form of recognition by any human rights group, let alone the family of the world-acclaimed Martin Luther King jr.”

The opposition party further urged the Presidency and the APC “to save the nation further embarrassment by jettisoning other planned endorsement stunts and fabricated performance indices, as Nigerians are already rallying with the repositioned and rebranded PDP in their collective quest to end the misrule of the APC and restore a sincere, purposeful and people-oriented government come 2019.”