THE National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has declared that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is not capable of stopping the ruling party which he said is poised to win Saturday’s presidential election.

Addressing a press conference at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Wednesday, he said propaganda and empty promises would not help the opposition.

“Gentlemen of the press, may I state that this election is beyond propaganda and empty popularity claims in the social media. It is about performance, sincerity of purpose and commitment to the unity, stability and prosperity of our dear nation. On these, the PDP and President Jonathan stand much taller than the opposition and its presidential candidate,” he stated.

The party boss, who read a text entitled “We are headed for victory” said the PDP had carried out a good campaign, traversing the nooks and crannies of the country and interfacing with citizens at different levels to solicit for their support ahead of the general election.

While appreciating the support of the people in the past 16 years, he stressed the party’s commitment to a peaceful electoral process, commending party members and volunteers who have worked on the party campaign.

He said “PDP is the only true democratic party committed to the national interest and platform where all Nigerians can freely engage and realise their yearnings and aspiration without regard to sectional, ethnic and religious considerations. The opposition was mainly a parochial platform, without a national agenda, driven by the whims and ambition of few individuals pursuing narrow personal interests.

“We made Nigerians to see beyond the veneer of propaganda to appreciate the fact that the opposition has nothing to offer other than empty promises, deceit and lies. Indeed, the hollowness of their campaigns vindicated us.

“They have no manifesto, no development blueprint and no clear model for wealth creation. In fact, they do not have any policy direction to back their much-mouthed change slogan.

“The difference between the opposition and us in this regard is that while they have nothing to offer, we do. We have our manifesto, our programmes and projects. We have our roadmap for a prosperous future, our array of credible candidates, our abiding faith in the unity, stability and prosperity of our dear nation and above all a better and more acceptable product in President Goodluck Jonathan, our standard bearer.

“As we moved along, one thing was clear. Nigerians from across the nation identify with President Jonathan as a sincere, forthright and committed leader whose exceptional steadfastness and record of performance despite daunting challenges stand him out as the man for the future.

“President Jonathan has proven to be a man of very strong character and a brave leader and it is certain that our nation will continue in the path of unity, stability and prosperity under his leadership.”

Mu’azu observed that never in the history of the nation had it witnessed the insurgency that is hitting at the very heart of national unity and cohesion, saying, “Instead of reacting in ways that could damage the trust and love of Nigerians for one another, our president has been acting more on the side of caution by ensuring that actions to defeat terrorism are carefully thought-out and pursued. Today we are seeing the results.

“The fact that the president has been able to stabilise the polity by his pan-Nigeria outlook and approach to governance is not in dispute. Today, every geo-political zone in the country enjoys a sense of belonging in terms of infrastructure development, economic and human capital empowerment.

“In the last four years under Jonathan, our economy has grown to become the largest in Africa and one of the fastest growing in the world, a fact the opposition cannot contest.

“This feat did not occur by accident but through the meticulous application of well thought-out policies and programmes, which created and sustained an investment-friendly environment in addition to directly empowering Nigerian businesses to thrive in all sectors under the Transformation Agenda,” he said.

Outlining numerous achievements made by the administration of President Jonathan, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and other key stakeholders in this election, to ensure free, fair and credible elections.