*Recent House committee report on NEMA’s North East Emergency Fund written in Dubai
The recent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)/ Atiku presidential campaign controversial meeting in Dubai resolved to target the reputation of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo by spreading negative and false news ahead of next year’s Presidential elections.
The plan in Dubai, United Arab Emirates was designed to ensure that the VP’s populist imagery is damaged in the media by making all attempts to discredit him.
“The diabolical plan by PDP is already in place. We can see it in motion that is how this party operates. In the last two weeks, they have concentrated their effort on the VP in a bid to assail his credibility,” a source said
For example, the recent but misrepresented House of Representatives report which was read on the floor of the House was written in Dubai and overseen by the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara.
It is also part of the Dubai resolution to try and weaken the drive of the VP regarding the Buhari Social Investment Programme. This explains the coordinated attacks on the TraderMoni scheme, as the party and their cronies have started bashing it as an advanced voter buying agenda.
The fear expressed at the Dubai meeting was that if the scheme is not diminished, it’s acceptance with the people will become an herculean task for the PDP and its Presidential candidate to overcome.
Observers say in the 16 years of PDP’s rule in the Federal Government, not one of its lip-serviced poverty alleviation programmes made any such imapact when compared to the Buhari Social Investment Programmes. And this was at a time when the nation was earning much more resources including periods when oil sold for over $100 per barrel.
Said a source, “they want to impoverish the people forever, but this government has changed that, Nigerians are wiser now and are aware that the corrupt government of the PDP is always designed to help only a few at the top.
A source aware of the outcomes of thr Dubai meeting explained that the PDP has identified VP Osinbajo as the success poster boy of the All Progressives Congress and see him as one who must be tainted.
Another source stated that the PDP agreed to “spread negative and false news relating to the VP, Prof Osinbajo, who is the main poster child of the administration and the most vocal opponent of the PDP.
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The VP’s continuous branding of PDP as corrupt and his ability to show that the party’s ideas in restructuring are insincere has become a threat to the PDP presidential campaign and it was firmly decided in Dubai that this “must be nipped in the bud. His visits to markets and the populist imagery he is creating must be tackled vigorously.”
“We must put him on the back foot. It is important to destroy his character ahead of the elections because of the favourable perception that many Nigerians have of him, his capacity and the programs and to reduce the South West support for him as a part of this administration”.
The sources continued that the meeting noted that the VP’s Christian character must be impugned and maligned seriously.
Speaking further, the source outlined some of the strategy of the PDP which was received from a leader in the opposition party.
“At the Dubai meeting, the PDP agreed to do a vigorous opposition research to discredit him (Osinbajo), his family, his faith and programs.
“They also agreed to commission moles and other agents to dig up dirt on subject.
“They also agreed to utilize the National Assembly to undertake series of bogus investigations to discredit him and his programs (particularly the Social Investments Programme).
