The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has denied playing any role in the supposed victory of Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan in last Saturday’s presidential election.

In a statement, Monday, by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it is simply unimaginable and highly incongruous that a progressive party like the ACN will work for the victory of the PDP, which has put Nigeria in reverse gear
in the past 12 years.

The statement reads; ” The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has denied playing any role, overtly or covertly, to aid the putative victory of the PDP in last Saturday’s presidential election,
despite the insinuation to that effect.
”We understand the seeming misinterpretation of the failure of our planned alliance with the CPC, to mean that we helped in ensuring victory for the PDP on the cheap. We understand the frustration of
our supporters that this hopeless behemoth could not be dislodged, in the interest of our union. But we say with all sense of responsibility that while we regret the failure of the alliance, we did not betray
our principles or compromise our integrity.

”Before the election, we had the option of working with the PDP but we did not take it, because we know this will not go down well with our supporters, and will negate everything that we stand for. Yes, they (PDP)
approached us, but we rebuffed their approach, because there is no way darkness and light can work together,” it said.

ACN said the truth is that PDP’s victory in the presidential election was not based on issues or ideology, but purely on primordial considerations.

”That election was fought on the basis of ethnic and religious considerations, matched by huge and unprecedented financial inducements. As we wrote in a statement issued before the election, billions of naira were allocated to
each state to be used for inducements and for compromising the election.

”Unfortunatately, the role of money became magnified in an environment of abject poverty and mass deprivation like ours, and a party flush with slush funds did not hesitate to take advantage of that,” the party said.

On the failed alliance with the CPC, the ACN said it did everything humanly possible to make it work, but the other party came to every negotiation perched on its high horse, and never for once came down.

”Even though we outperformed the CPC in the National Assembly poll, we still offered to step down for the party in the overall interest of Nigeria. We bent over backwards every inch of the way, especially in the three days of intense
negotiations before the election

”We risked everything: Our candidate agreed to step down in the national interest, at the risk of the damage that will be done to his candidacy if the alliance fails, and that was exactly what happened. While negotiations were still on, the CPC rushed to the press to say that our candidate has stepped down. Many then believed he would not be on the ballot, and limited their options to choosing between Buhari and Jonathan.

”We risked the election of our gubernatorial candidates, who might have been affected if we had directed our supporters to vote for the CPC in the presidential election, because such a directive may not have been easily reversed before the governorship
election.

”All we demanded from the CPC during the last days of intense negotiation, when we kept all our national leaders in Abuja for three straight days, was to allow us to produce the vice president after the election, and it became too much for them. Simply
put, these people wanted us to amputate our two hands for them, while they could not even afford to lose a finger!” the party said.

ACN added: ”Contrary to the arrogant disposition of the CPC that our party was the one virtually begging them for an alliance,the simple truth is that we did not go to them. A group of northern leaders approached us, saying they have spoken with Buhari
and that he has given the green light for the alliance.

”Even then, Buhari negotiated with us by proxy, until we demanded that he appears in person, which he did reluctantly in the very last stage of the negotiations, to no effect.”

ACN appeals to all its supporters and all those who desire a change for the better to put the disappointment behind them and continue to work for the emergence of the Nigeria of their dreams.

”On our part, we remain a party of integrity and progress, that will continue to offer the hope of a better, stronger and more united Nigeria to all the citizens,” the party said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/acn-denies-role-in-allege-jonathans-victory/

The so called yoruba leaders have come again with their 'double-sided' mouth talk. if they say 'A' today then tomorow it becomes 'B'. Who is fooling who? When Asiwaju was hosting Gej in Lagos, did he not deny of no deal? When he flew on presidential jet to Abuja, did he not deny? You wanted alliance and you were given some unconstitutional conditions b4 it could work. We heard it that u wanted Bakare step down immediately after taking the oath, you know it s ethically wrong but u gave the condition knowing well that BB will turn the offer down. You knew that you were going to come out and show your clean hands in the making of PDP win the election. Yoruba RONU.

ACN has no part in Jonathan's rigging. That was all him. And those who conspired with him.

Said and done.

I think this is for the best. ACN should worry more about it's local politicians and development. I will keep saying this.

typical yorubas,they say this today and say another thing tomorrow we are also watching.

htajz:

typical yorubas,they say this today and say another thing tomorrow we are also watching.

Get lost. The Yorubas have come out of this election looking like the most sophisticated electorate in Nigeria . Deal with it . Some of you should also accept your wicked PDP Governors , courtesy of the two for the price of one deal you signed for when you chose GEJ, leave Yoruba folks alone and move on . Everybody met everybody else in the past few months . There is virtually no politician Jonathan did not meet . Yet when Tinubu met Jonathan we are supposed to believe that wicked plans were conceived ? Yes it is only Yorubas who scheme . Every one else is virtuous and self-deception is a bi.tch !!! Sensible adults will conclude that , given what we have seen so far , We have to believe what the ACN has said.

Ileke-IdI:

Said and done.

I think this is for the best. ACN should worry more about it's local politicians and development. I will keep saying this.

My dear, that is precisely what is happening now .It is a confirmation of the proactive mentality of the SW region. When it begins to bear fruit , you will see other regions , in confirmation that they are reactionary , begin to copy the 'template' . Nigerians are shameless. They are here maligning the Yorubas yet it is the region that managed to host elections that is not heavily disputed .

It is the region that has managed , at the local level, to get rid of the wicked representatives of the PDP and its 12 year holocaust . Does it make sense for folks of Abia to thump their chest about helping GEJ gain victory when they still have Theodore Orji as Governor ? Will GEJ lead Abia ? Abeg , I am happy with GEJ as President as long as Yoruba states are rid of the criminal misrulers of OBJ . Forget the ethnic bigots here . They only pretend to laugh so folks don't know they are really crying . It is only the victory of the SW that is not pyrrhic , in reality, given what is on the ground and how Nigeria currently operates . Go out and speak to intelligent analysts . They will tell you the SW are , by far , the big winners in this election. We should simply now focus on massive mobilisation so that Alao-Akala , the thuggish stain on our region , is removed on Saturday.

@ Gbawe,

God bless u. And lets pray for Ogun State too

ACN did not assist PDP, they simply looked the other way and allowed them to rig.

stormm:

@ Gbawe,

God bless u. And lets pray for Ogun State too

My brother, It is Amosun and ACN all the way in Ogun if the guber elections are free and fair. OGD is leaving so it is even in his own interest that the PDP does not win. His own PPN candidate (Isiaka) cannot win even with 2007 style rigging . Meanwhile Olurin , the PDP candidate, is an geriatric relic who is seen as being coerced , rather than genuinely interested, just like Yar Adua. There is rumours of health challenges also and that tallies with how OBJ seems only interested in outright criminals or chronically ill administrators.  Oyo is actually the one to watch because Alao-Akala , the incumbent who is seeking another 4 years , is a desperado.

Even though d alliance had work, the combined votes of cpc and acn cant get up to those of pdp. So why crying over spoilt milk?

@ufumes

if the alliance had worked , there would have been a whole new level of mobilization in the south west.
3 qters of the 4 million voters who sat at home in lagos would have responded. ACN/CPC would have won the
south west convincingly and trust me pdp/jonathan would have lost and may not have had the show off they are mouthing right now.

a lot of people (both ACN and CPC voters) sat back since the alliance they hoped for did not materialise

i tried to convince a number of them but i guess many had resigned to fate that pdp would rig anyway and no formidable opposition was in sight.

i wish the eastern region too would evolve into such a powerful political force and not be tossed everywhere by political parties that have no vision.

klarry79:

@ufumes

if the alliance had worked , there would have been a whole new level of mobilization in the south west.
3 qters of the 4 million voters who sat at home in lagos would have responded. ACN/CPC would have won the
south west convincingly and trust me pdp/jonathan would have lost and may not have had the show off they are mouthing right now. a lot of people (both ACN and CPC voters) sat back since the alliance they hoped for did not materialise

i tried to convince a number of them but i guess many had resigned to fate that pdp would rig anyway and no formidable opposition was in sight.

i wish the eastern region too would evolve into such a powerful political force and not be tossed everywhere by political parties that have no vision.

The bolded is bull-poo!

Are all Southwesterners ACN card carrying members or do they feed from Tinubu's pot of soup Do you realize the sophistication and the reasoning of the SW voters? Do you know they do not reckon with anybody to tell them who to vote?

People in Lagos especially have made up their mind to vote for Jonathan. Opinion polls lent credence to this when it said 80% Lagosians will vote for Jonathan. Tinubu himself knows this. Alliance or no alliance, Jonathan would still have won in Lagos.

X-factoria

the point i am making is that jonathan got the votes because people had resigned to the fact that pdp will rig its way in anyway and not because the party represents any serious political ideology or any conviction of the voters.

yes jonathan is popular and may have the solidary of many, however like you rightly mentioned, there is sophistication in the SW voters so the sentiment towards jonathan may be a secondary consideration if there was a formidable alternative to the pdp and its candidate

if u ask me, i am not troubled by pdp at all in Lagos for example. APGA's performance in lagos at the last NASS election was impressive and thats because there was some alternative to ACN in some constituencies.

Point is as formidable options begin to avail, the invincibility of the so called mega parties will begin to wane.

Soon even the most discredited parties will begin to look for credible and reliable candidates

cheers!!!

Tinubu is the Asiwaju of crooks LOL. Tricksters like him make you ashamed to be a Yoruba man.

He was fronting Ribadu as the New Deal, at the same time negotiating a merger with Buhari on a second front while also cutting a sweet stay-out-of-jail deal with GEJ on a third, simultaneous front. Played everybody for the greedy fo.ols they all are