President Muhammadu Buhari has been severely criticised for disowning promises made by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the election campaign about what he would do in his first 100 days as president.
Nigerians took to social media to express dissatisfaction with the party’s and the presidency’s explanations.
The protest on Twitter was titled, #100dayspromise and was focused on the ruling party and the presidency for being dishonest with Nigerians during the presidential campaign.
Garba Shehu, the presidential media aide, dissociated Buhari from the many promises that were made during the electioneering.
Shehu, who was the director of media of the APC presidential campaign organisation, rejected the authenticity of a document titled, “My Covenant with Nigerians”, which was supposedly signed by Buhari and posted on the APC’s website in March.
However, Kayode Ogundamisi, a social commentator, said on his official Twitter account that it was insincere of the ruling party to disown the document, having allowed it remain on the site.
He said: “The APC and President Buhari are telling us that they never saw the ‘100-day promise’ document; failing the integrity test so soon?“Prof Yemi Osinbajo mentioned free meals as contained in the 100-day document during his US tour; is he also a loose organ?”
Read more reactions below:
#100DaysPromise: I know great men of integrity that stood by their words & promises @MBuhari, but I'm not adding Lai Mohammed, to that list!
— Godfrey Attah (@Softmanconsult) August 31, 2015
Bt ur proposed 'promise...UNREALISTIC' cop-out for failure to keep #100dayspromise is worse @ogundamisi
@laimohammed124
@MBuhari
@APCNigeria
— Mogul™ (@okezie_moses) August 31, 2015
Why the denial? Some of us who voted for APC did because we wanted Change and not #100daysPromise
— Diplomat. (@Stillkjay) August 31, 2015
And stop being remorseful @ogundamisi: #100dayspromise also included paying unemployed candidate @ProfOsinbajo. APC should apologise"
— Asiwaju Olusegun (@Gordonssy) August 31, 2015
FACT!!!@ogundamisi: Some of the promises made in the #100dayspromise by APC & @MBuhari are unrealistic...is not the CHANGE U promised."
— Asiwaju Olusegun (@Gordonssy) August 31, 2015
Its nt about whether we stand by our Pres or not, we voted 4change & d least we expect 4rm APC is d truth & notin bt d truth #100dayspromise
— Abdulrahman Muazu (@Dr22wks) August 31, 2015
I Remb family members calling me a pessimist coz I said Apcs short term promises are very unrealistic nd cnt b achieved #100dayspromise.
— Abdulrahman Muazu (@Dr22wks) August 31, 2015
Lai Mohammed & the APC should COME CLEAN TO NIGERIANS. If you say @MBuhari cant deliver on the #100dayspromise. We will understand
— Kayode Ogundamisi (@ogundamisi) August 31, 2015
1. "IT IS TOO LATE FOR PRESIDENT BUHARI TO DISOWN THE PROMISES ON THE BASIS OF WHICH NIGERIANS VOTED FOR HIM" - @CDDWestAfrica #PMBPromises
— BudgIT (@BudgITng) August 31, 2015
Look APC, don't put Buhari under pressure! Did U consult him before making promises on his behalf? You see where lies & propaganda landed U?
— May Ubeku #5Percent (@Maybeks) August 30, 2015
@maybeks @pdpnyf don't tell me u believe the lie that GMB wasn't aware of the promises in the APC manifesto?he cudnt hv bin that daft
— pacemaker (@realanifon) August 30, 2015
Gen @MBuhari disowns campaign promises. http://t.co/Mp6q5lAbIV
This is the man they said had "Integrity" ?
Aboki scam Nigeria..
AGAIN!!
— RADICAL OF THE 5% (@RadicalYouthMan) August 29, 2015
If Buhari disowns all APC's campaign promises, let him not disown the N5,000/month. His base in the North will almost lynch him.
— Onye #2ndNigerBridge (@cchukudebelu) August 29, 2015
Apart from social media, some commentators who spoke with The Punch said Buhari needed to fulfil promises made during campaigning.
Festus Keyamo, a Lagos lawyer, said: “If those promises were made in the course of the presidential campaign and they were made by the party for Buhari as the presidential candidate, then it is only proper that the President should deliver on those promises and Nigerians should hold him accountable regarding those promises.
“But then, I can vouch for President Buhari. I travelled with him and I was with him at Chatham House when he was asked a question on what he would do in the first 100 days; and Buhari’s reply was very simple. He said, ‘I consider all of these promises about my 100 days in office fraudulent. I am not going to commit myself to any 100 days promises.’
“That was what he said at the Chatham House in London.
“But if the party made any promises regarding 100 days, perhaps the President should have corrected them at that time.”
Adetokunbo Mumuni, the executive director of the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project, also said the APC was like Buhari’s principal and the president was bound by the promises made by the party.
“The party is more or less like the President’s principal and so it would not be out of place for Nigerians to hold the President accountable for the promises made by his political party, especially the promises made on the campaign train,” he said.
Wahab Shittu, another Lagos-based lawyer, added: “All the promises that the President made are anchored on a very clear agenda. He made promises on security, corruption, economy and infrastructure; those are clear promises based on his agenda and they are the template on which he would be assessed.
“Buhari contested on the platform of the APC and on the strength of that, he is obliged to implement the manifesto of the APC and the promises made to Nigerians. The promises he made as a presidential candidate are anchored on the manifesto of the party.”
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