Opinion: Buhari’s shoes and PDP making the same mistake again

Editor’s note In the latest attempt at political check and balance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) posted on social media a picture of President Muhammadu Buhari and claimed it costs $8,000 (about N2,592,000). The obvious essence of bringing this to the notice of Nigerians is to show that the president who once claimed to be poor is now parading himself in shoes worth more than 2 million naira.

What Deji Adeyanju who the PDP’s director of new media has done is to repeat the same mistake the party made in the period before the 2015 general elections. The party put all its energy and money towards defaming Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than positively portraying Goodluck Jonathan and listing his achievements (which were numerous).

PDP’s obsession with the opposition without constructive criticism would probably have worked at a different time in the country’s political terrain but with this age of information and new media, it is difficult to bamboozle the citizen with smear campaign.

READ ALSO: See Price Of Buhari’s Daughter Zahra Shoes

The tactic employed by Doyin Okupe and Femi Fani-Kayode who were the spokesperson of the PDP during the election period was one that was more focused on Buhai than their own presidential candidate. While the party concentrated on Buhari’s lack of an academic degree and the fact that he was a tyrannical dictator when he served as head of state, the APC was more focused on building the image and pedigree of their own candidate. One notable campaign used by the PDP that sort of sums up the party’s lack of direction and significant criticism was when the clothing and shoes of Zahra Buhari were estimated to worth millions of Naira. Nigerians were more amused than swayed by the exaggerated profiling.

The campaign of the two parties was largely about Buhari. Thanks to the PDP, Nigerians were left with just a single candidate – a good Buhari or a bad one as Buhari became even more popular that the sitting president, Jonathan. The rest is history.

The constructive criticism employed by the PDP senator, Ben Murray Bruce is one that the PDP should adopt and not be concerned about how beautiful or expensive President Buhari’s shoes are. Nigerians are tired about and have been since the time Jonathan said he had no shoes. This is rather the time to point out the weaknesses of the present administration and use it to the party’s advantage. Bruce’s criticism are not just mean to portray the ruling party in a bad light but to keep the ruling party on its toes which is the sort of healthy democracy the country and a strong reminder to the ruling party that of it fails the people, it would be swiftly voted out in the next election.

READ ALSO: Aisha Buhari Wore Very Expensive Wristwatch

Being in the opposition party is not a reason to be anti-progressive as a PDP Lagos lawmaker, Honourable Hakeem Sokunle rightly said. It is an avenue to provide the engaging checks and balance that will make the country, especially ordinary Nigerian to benefit from. Putting focus on the first lady’s expensive wrist watch or the president’s expensive shoes will do the PDP and Nigeria no good.

This opinion was written by Yusuf Omotayo, a Lagos city guide and political editor at Naij.com.

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