NAN
The Presidency on Sunday faulted a purported poll carried out by the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, describing it as “nothing but a great exercise in quackery.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, was reacting to a statement issued by the party with regards to the plan to unveil its manifesto on Thursday based on the poll.
Abati told State House correspondents that the statement issued by the party National Publicity Secretary, Lai Muhammed, on the premise of unveiling the manifesto base on the result of the poll was “dubious and suspicious.”
“While we share the view that the APC has the view to unveil its manifesto because nobody really knows what the party stands for.
“Nigerians are curious to have a properly articulated position of the APC rather than its inarticulate engagement with Nigerian public
“But the basis on which the APC is trying to unveil the manifesto is dubious and suspicious.
“The APC is, according to Muhammed, is presenting its manifesto on the basis on certain poll that it conducted which shows the administration in a bad light.
“I have read the details of the poll purportedly conducted by the APC. To start with, polling in any category at all is a very serious business.
“It is not something that any roadside adventurer can engage in.
“What the APC has done is that it has abandoned its core business of politics to dabble into polling, and what it has come up with is a voodoo exercise,’’ he said.
Abati stressed that the purportedly poll conducted by the APC “is nothing but a great exercise in quackery’’.
“APC is not licensed to be a polling agency, it has neither the expertise and the exposure nor the track record.
“It is not surprising that the outcome of its so-called polling is dubious.
“It says for example that if elections were to be held today, whether Nigerians will vote for President Goodluck Jonathan or the candidate of the APC?.”
“To the best of everybody’s knowledge, the APC does not even have a candidate yet.
“It has not named anybody as its candidate, the INEC has not even blown any whistle to initiate the submission of names of candidates.
“The APC on the basis of an unknown candidate is saying that their candidate will have a 10-point lead.
“I don’t think Nigerians are that gullible. It does not make sense, it does not look objective,’’ he said.
Abati faulted the parameters and variables used for the polls as suspicious as well as claim from the purported poll that Jonathan had done nothing to create jobs.
“This is nothing but a gross display of ignorance.
“The ignorance is self-imposed because the administration has done more than enough and will continue to do a lot to demonstrate how it has been creating jobs.’’
Abati said the purported poll, its result and usage are “just clearly partisan politicking.”
