The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it will no longer condone sustained vicious attacks on the person and office of President Goodluck Jonathan, the institutions of democracy and the unity of the nation by the opposition party.
The PDP national publicity secretary , Olisa Metuh, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the ruling party will no longer fold its hands while the desperate desire of the APC for power poses a threat to the very survival of democracy and the nation.
He said, “The PDP has been watching carefully as the rank and file of the APC, the governors, party leaders, presidential hopefuls and even sidekicks run amok, competing in a heavily subjective castigation of President Goodluck Jonathan with incendiary utterances, signposting its plans for the dastardly when it loses in next year’s general elections.
However, patriotism, the cardinal value of our great party, indeed, the price of our custodianship of the mandate of over 160 million Nigerians calls for vigilance, maturity and responsibility, hence our restraints in the face of the naked lies and recklessness of the APC.
We had thought that the silver hair of its top leaders would caution the thoughtless delinquency of its youngsters. Unfortunately, the recklessness of the old is in competition with the imprudence of the young. What a shame the APC has turned.”
The PDP noted that its decent political campaigns focusing on the achievements of the party at various levels of government should have served as a pointer to the opposition party to maintain political decorum and primacy of national interest in the build-up to the forthcoming elections.
The PDP said, “This disposition has led the APC to work in cahoots with the enemies of Nigeria in an attempt to wreck our democracy and throw the nation into chaos, hence the urgency of the need to warn that ‘enough is now enough’.”
The ruling party further alleged that “the aim of the APC is to set the stage for violence, instill fear in Nigerians, discourage them from actively participating in the electoral process thereby giving room for them to perpetrate all manners of electoral malpractices (as evidenced by their cloning of the Permanent Voters Cards) which is the only way they may hope to achieve political power in Nigeria. This position is reinforced by their constant threat to cause violent pandemonium when they lose the elections.
Recall that today’s leaders of the APC had while contesting on different platforms in 2011, issued such threats and went ahead to precipitate an unprecedented electoral violence in which hundreds of innocent Nigerians lost their lives, yet, the same election was adjudged by local and international observers as the most credible in our recent history.
One must then ask. Is violence and inflammatory statements the manifesto of the APC? Is plotting against the oneness of the nation the party’s article of faith? Is the never-ending attempt to ridicule the highest office in the land a credo and an explanation of the alternative the APC is flaunting?
Nigerians may recall that on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at Ilorin, Kwara State, the APC leaders with their Governors, converging for their usual revelry and self-indulging insults, delegated themselves and self styled national leader to take stupidity to its apogee by asking President Jonathan to resign.
On November 19, APC leaders unfurled the much pinched wrap by declaring that they would lead a rebellion against President Jonathan and install a parallel government should APC lose next year’s presidential election. In less than 24hours, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun on November 21, on a live NTA morning programme, admitted that the APC knew what he called genuine leaders of Boko Haram and went childish by accusing the President of deliberately allowing insurgents take over the country”.
The PDP statement further expressed concern that the warning last week by security experts that some opposition leaders may be planning to intensify mayhem against Nigerians to justify their only campaign point, which is insecurity, may not be unrelated to the increased spate of bombings following the declaration of President Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election.
It also said that one of the deductions Nigerians would easily make from the unfolding scenario is that the APC has neither an agenda nor an issue to offer.
Nigerians have waited for too long for the APC’s roadmap with convention after convention ( two in less than a month) producing only humbug, claptrap and a regurgitation of worn- out, anachronistic clichés.
It is therefore clear that the APC is not preparing for elections, rather actively planning to scheme itself into power in 2015 using violent uprising as replacement for peaceful polls
Nevertheless, we wish to assure all Nigerians that the PDP is not willing to kowtow the APC in this road to infamy but will remain focused in jealously protecting the interest of the nation while serving and confidently campaigning and marketing its manifesto to Nigerians,” the party said.
Source: Leadership
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