The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has distanced himself from the sacrilegious image of Jesus allegedly used by his opponents to discredit him and his campaign organisation.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, described the superimposition of his picture onto the image of Jesus as “a mischievous and desperate effort by his APC opponents to use religion for political purposes in order to pitch him against Christians and spread discord between Muslims and Christians.”

The former Vice President noted that his opponents are behaving like “a drowning person who would clutch at anything in a sinking situation”, adding that he was not surprised they could go to the extent “as it is characteristic of them to sow divisions amongst our diverse people.”

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“APC are exhausted because they have squandered their goodwill and even their campaign of lies and propaganda are not working for them, and Nigerians have seen the light enough not to be fooled anymore by such desperate last ditch tactic of a soldier about to kiss the dust.

“I’m not your enemy; your enemy is your own disastrous record in terms of security, education, job creation, unemployment, and unity. Your own performance record is your own greatest undoing.

“The 2023 election is a confidence vote on APC. Nigerians are wiser; using religion to divide the people can’t work. Suffering and hardship unite and galvanise people against failure and incompetence,” Atiku added.

He, however, urged the APC to “pray for forgiveness before God for the sacrilege that they have committed and also to Nigerians to forgive them for the sorry pass they have put the country to.”

The Star