The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday berated the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the Facebook revelation detailing the manipulation and engineering of disinformation in the 2019 general election by President Muhammadu Buhari’s handlers.
The party said the development exposed the Federal Government and the APC as schemers and real enemies of democracy and national cohesion.
Recall that a recent report claimed that an Israeli firm, named Archimedes, opened Facebook accounts which were used for disseminating smear campaigns against Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and eulogising President Muhammadu Buhari.
Many of the pages and accounts, which have been closed, were discovered to be linked to a Tel Aviv-based political consulting and lobbying firm named Archimedes.
Reacting, the PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the revelation had exposed the APC as a fraudulent and violence-loving party, whose divisive activities were now directly threatening the security and stability of the nation.
The PDP said: “Indeed, the Buhari presidency and the APC should hide their faces in shame as Nigerians have seen that their professed sanctimony and ‘holier-than-thou’ claims are mere masquerading.
“Our party notes that there are more damning revelations against the APC, not only on its rigging of the general election, but also on how it is working against our nation, which will come to light at the appropriate time.
“The APC, which engaged in manipulation to foist itself, will do anything, no matter how vile, to sustain itself in office, not minding the social, economic and collateral damages such could cause our dear nation.
“It is, however, to say the least, despicable that in their desperation to hold on to power at all costs, President Buhari’s handlers and the APC engaged in this sneaky disinformation, internet lies and smear campaigns against the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.”
The PDP said it was unpardonable that instead of owning up, the Federal Government and the APC, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, are seeking to cover their tracks and divert public attention from their devious acts by making unsubstantiated security allegations against the party and Atiku Abubakar.
“The Facebook revelation exposes how President Buhari, in his claimed integrity, allowed the enlisting of criminals, hackers, and internet fraudsters in the desperate attempt to manipulate the views of Nigerians against Atiku Abubakar, a scheme which failed as Nigerians had already made up their minds to do away with the incompetent, deceptive, vindictive, and corrupt APC administration.
