It claims to be a copy and paste job, and the text is full of half-baked ideas, faulty logic, and paraphrased passages from Abiola’s “Hope ’93” manifesto.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has had his platform slammed by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which referred to it as “copied notes” from the late MKO Abiola’s “Hope ’93” manifesto.
“The text is loaded with half-thoughts, shoddy logic, and duplicated notes from Abiola’s ‘Hope ’93’ manifesto,” claimed Mr. Dele Momodu, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council’s director of strategic communications.
Abiola was elected president of Nigeria in 1993 on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket. The election was deemed to be the most democratic and fair in the country’s political history, but military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who was in charge of the junta at the time, ordered its annulment.
Abiola was elected president of Nigeria in 1993 on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket. The election was deemed to be the most democratic and fair in the country’s political history, but military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who was in charge of the junta at the time, ordered its annulment.
On October 21, the APC and its presidential candidate presented an 80-page manifesto titled “Renewed Hope 2023.”
Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine, attacked Tinubu’s manifesto as “an appropriation of MKO Abiola’s legacy” in an article headed “APC: Renewed hope or forlorn hope?” that was published on Sunday.
He emphasized the distinction between Tinubu and Abiola and referred to Tinubu’s presidential campaign as a “forlorn hope.”
Momodu, who ran against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the party’s presidential primaries, called the manifesto “an affront to the sensibilities and needs of Nigerians” and said the authors used “copy and paste.”
He said: “The authors of the text have attempted to rework certain unoriginal concepts, like a cunning student trying to avoid getting caught in the act of plagiarism. The authors of the pamphlet insult Chief Bola Tinubu, the APC candidate, in addition to insulting Nigerians with their selection of clichés and trite notions.
“I implore you to scrutinize the document the APC refers to as a manifesto in the interest of justice. You’ll see that they are promising precisely what they have failed to accomplish over the past eight years.
“His party has fallen short of advancing Nigeria. Stop pointing fingers at the People’s Democratic Party, please (PDP). They must quit blaming COVID 19 and the outside world. Governments have a responsibility to lead and resolve issues. Leadership is about controlling resources and people.
Nigeria urgently needs a leader with the qualities necessary to guide the country through uncertainty with distinction and never through unproven experimentation. In the past eight years, we have already experienced disastrous experiments. Only the APC administration places the blame for its lack of originality and inventiveness on previous administrations and external factors.
I adamantly demand that the APC manifesto’s authors reveal and indict both the APC and Chief Bola Tinubu. When the current administration was making mistakes with a similar game plan and manifesto, Nigerians would ask where Chief Bola Tinubu and his running mate were. The authors of the document, whoever they are, seem to have such a lack of respect for Nigerians that they do not seem to care or know that they will ask that question.
Momodu criticized Tinubu and other APC leaders for not advising President Buhari and instead choosing to watch him fail, and he questioned what they and other party members had said or done, either in private or in public, to alert the government to their poor performance.
What did they say or do, in secret or in the open, to remind the departing APC administration that they broke their 2015 campaign promises?
What guidance or recommendations did they offer the departing administration to safeguard Nigerians’ lives and property? What guidance or recommendations did they offer to expand our economy, produce wealth, and create jobs? What corruption-fighting plans did they recommend for the departing administration?
Here is the complete article by Momodu, a former journalist with Abiola’s now-defunct National Concord newspaper:
“We are forced to draw the conclusion that the elephant has given birth to an ant after attentively reading the eagerly anticipated APC Presidential Campaign Manifesto that was released over the weekend. The APC presidential candidate has produced a collection of cliches, half-thoughts, faulty logic, and copied notes that have been packaged and presented as “Renewed Hope” after such a long delay. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC’s presidential candidate, and the phrase “Renewed Hope 2023” are both derivative. Really? This is just another effort by the APC candidate to hijack the legacy of Bashorun MKO Abiola.
Instead than following in the footsteps of a man whose life trajectory was unusual and whose desire for Nigeria was lofty, it would be more beneficial if he ran on his own. And the APC candidate should be reminded that 1993 and 2023 are two very different years, according to the publisher of Ovation.
“The late MKO Abiola was respected for his hard work and intelligence. Shall we inquire as to the reputation of the APC candidate? The message of Bola Tinubu and the APC campaign in 2023 is that while MKO’s Dream ’93 was a sincere course, it is a forlorn hope for Nigerians.
“To be very honest, the 80-page document that the APC has produced reads as little more than a slight against the needs and sensibilities of Nigerians.
“At a time when the nation desperately needs strong leadership with vision and guts, all the APC seems capable of doing is basically copying and pasting the ideas of others without producing anything truly unique or amazing. Asiwaju claims to be “in the know.” He does not, with all due respect. He has marketed himself as the mastermind of the APC’s 2015 triumph on numerous occasions. Back then, the party’s catchphrase was “Change.”
They have failed to make any positive changes in eight years. Nigeria has been led into a ditch by them. Inflation is very nearly 21%. the 33% unemployment rate. One of the world’s currencies that performs the worst versus the dollar is the naira. Because individuals no longer have hope, the suicide rate in the nation has dramatically increased. The APC and its leaders have castrated families and destroyed “the other chamber,” which has increased the divorce rate. As a result, they have made Nigerians’ situation worse. Now, Tinubu claims he wants to lead Nigerians on a journey in 2022. Definitely a journey to nowhere, or more precisely, a trek to perdition. He stated last week that he would make sure the existing administration would continue.
What further action does he desire? If I may ask, what about the APC’s infliction on Nigerians of poverty, suffering, and ignorance?
The authors of the paper attempted to rephrase certain unoriginal concepts, much like a cunning student trying to avoid being found out plagiarizing. The authors of the pamphlet insult Chief Bola Tinubu, the APC candidate, in addition to insulting Nigerians with their selection of clichés and trite notions.
In the interest of justice, I implore you to examine the document the APC refers to as its manifesto. You’ll see that they are promising precisely what they have failed to accomplish over the past eight years.
The political scene in Nigeria is not new to Chief Bola Tinubu. It is terrible that he permitted some individuals to blend the 2015 APC/Buhari manifesto with the Abiola Hope ’93 manifesto without tact or grace. Even more impudence, they labeled it “Renewed Hope.” Nigerians don’t require a manifesto that they can copy and paste. They need specifics and fresh concepts.
Giving the people hollow promises will not move our country ahead given the current state of affairs. How is the question facing each candidate for the presidency. How will you address the issue? We are all aware of the issue. Inform us how. Bola Tinubu has portrayed himself for the past eight years as the force behind the throne.
His party has not succeeded in advancing Nigeria. Stop pointing fingers at the People’s Democratic Party, please (PDP). They must quit blaming COVID 19 and the outside world. Governments have a responsibility to lead and resolve issues. Leadership is about controlling resources and people.
Nigeria urgently needs a leader who is able to guide the country through chaos with distinction and never through unproven experimentation. In the past eight years, we have already experienced disastrous experiments. Only the APC administration places the blame for its lack of originality and inventiveness on previous administrations and external factors.
I adamantly demand that the APC manifesto’s authors reveal and indict both the APC and Chief Bola Tinubu. Whoever the authors are, they seem to have such a disdain for Nigerians that they don’t seem to care or realize that the people of that country will wonder where Chief Bola Tinubu and his running mate were while the current administration was making mistakes with a similar game plan and agenda.
How did they and other APC members alert the government to their poor performance, whether in secret or in public? What did they say or do, in secret or in the open, to remind the departing APC administration that they had broken their 2015 promises?
What guidance or recommendations did they offer the departing administration to safeguard Nigerians’ lives and property? What guidance or recommendations did they offer to expand our economy, produce wealth, and create jobs? What anti-corruption plans did they recommend to the departing administration?
Were they really waiting calmly and cynically for the current government to fall so they could assert, “I can do it”? Were they too afraid or preoccupied with their desire to confront the regime for Nigeria’s sake?
“I have used the term “writers of the text” with caution because the APC is one party whose candidates may not even be aware of the content of their own manifestos, and it is well known to backtrack on even its own promises.
Long after they had been declared the winner in the 2015 general elections, the APC publicly rejected some of the pledges made in the party’s manifesto.
This is undoubtedly the reason why their 2023 manifesto is long on promises and light on information this time around. I don’t believe Nigerians should be subjected to another unpleasant experience as a concerned citizen.
“The 2023 elections will be the most significant in recent Nigerian history, bar none. The APC must be put to a vote in 2023 because it is now or never for progress. My plea is for voters to exercise good judgment.
And going forward, I sincerely hope that Chief Tinubu will make himself available to participate in debates and react to inquiries that may be made of him. However, when he does so, he should kindly avoid resorting to his habit of turning important dialogues into evasive proverbs and metaphors.
Nigerians don’t seek out a “dibia.” They seek a leader with a distinct mission and vision.
