ALASHOCK'S BLOG

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday [Jan. 8], described President Goodluck Jonathan as an angry man, who is recriminating about people criticising his government. Fashola spoke at the mobilisation and interactive campaign of the party in Benin City, Edo State.

Fashola, who spoke shortly after Professor Osinbajo at the Imaguero College, where Governor Adams Oshiomhole and members of his cabinet, leaders of the party, traditional rulers, market women and others had converged, said the February 14 presidential election was going to be about the job approval of President Jonathan and his record of service, adding that the election would not be about where he comes from or how old he is.

“I watched the president of my country speak in my state for about one hour and I saw an angry man. He was recriminating about people criticising his government. He was blaming all who ruled before him, forgetting that he has been on this job for six years”.  “For 29 minutes, he did not reveal his plans on power, security and corruption. Now after six and a half years without being able to articulate what he’s doing and what he will do, he keeps blaming everybody, forgetting that he is the Commander-in-Chief. If the kitchen is too hot, as it is becoming obvious, he must get out of it.”

Speaking to the crowd, he said, “after six years, he has not been able to explain what he has been doing with your time and 52 per cent of your revenue,” adding that “what you have on the other side is a man who has not yet taken the job.”

Fashola heaped praises on the vice-presidential candidate of the APC, remarking that though he only became the vice presidential candidate for about three weeks, he had been able to articulate the challenges facing the country and the probable solutions to them. Speaking on the 2007 presidential election, he said, “God bless the soul of the late President (Umaru) Yar’Adua, who admitted that the election was flawed. They rigged everything. It was Professor Osinbajo who challenged all of us, saying we can’t let the situation go down without a fight.

“He brought the late Adrian Forty, who was a forensic expert. They went through millions of ballot papers, one-by-one, showing where some people voted more than 100 times and places where they got tired of thump-printing and used palm kernel. That is the capacity of the man who wants to become your vice president; he’s never afraid of hard work.”

Fashola declared that PDP was ready to rig the February elections through the amendment to the Electoral Act, whereby election cases would now be decided within 180 days. “So, their current mantra is go and rig and frustrate the trial. That is what they want to do this time around, the Lagos governor stated.