Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were yesterday locked in a war of words over the crisis in the former.
The national leadership of PDP had alleged a desperate bid by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to destroy the party in order to entrench totalitarianism but APC blamed the crisis in the leading opposition party on the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
According to PDP, as part of this bid, the APC is working in cahoots with its agents within its ranks to promote a narrative that its electoral guidelines had been compromised through forgery.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, who stated this in a statement in Abuja yesterday, in response to reports that some of the party’s officials were invited for questioning over alleged case of forgery, said: ‘The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been drawn to sensational and misleading reports in a section of the media suggesting that its primary election guidelines have allegedly been compromised by forgery. ‘The PDP states in clear and unequivocal terms that its primary election guidelines, as approved by the party, have not by any means whatsoever been compromised by forgery as being peddled in the said reports.
‘The PDP has, however, been made aware that the misleading reports are at the instance of certain resentful individuals who, as agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are desperately seeking ways to create a scandal, discredit the integrity of PDP’s internal processes and bring the party to public ridicule.
‘Our party is shocked by the level of desperation being displayed by these individuals reportedly with the backing of a particular top official in the APC administration who had on several occasions vowed to destroy the PDP to enable the APC entrench a totalitarian and oppressive one-party system in our nation to the resentment and detriment of Nigerians.
‘The PDP has also been made aware of the involvement of these disgruntled individuals in inducing disagreements in some chapters as well as the intimidation, threats and police harassment of some officials, staff and members of the party.
‘Our party is appalled by the scandalous and reprehensible attempt by these desperate individuals to drag the police and a magistrate court in Abuja into the party’s internal affairs, despite pronouncement of various courts of higher hierarchy, including the Supreme Court, stating that issues touching on the nomination of candidates for elections are strictly internal affairs of political parties over which the courts have no jurisdiction.
‘The PDP remains strong, undeterred and will continue to firmly resist any onslaught or machination by anti-people forces who are seeking to destabilize our party, emasculate opposition, undermine the nation’s democracy and instil an oppressive one-party regime against the will of the people.
‘Our party reassures all members and teeming supporters that its primary election guidelines have not been compromised by forgery and such reports of forgery should, therefore, be disregarded’.
Responding, APC said the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former vice president Atiku Abubakar and a former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal should accept responsibility for the political carnage in the PDP.
In a statement by its Media directorate in Abuja yesterday, APC condemned Tambuwal’s assertions that the fake of defections into the APC was fueled by ‘stomach infrastructure’. Felix Morka, who made the statement, said Tambuwal had forgotten his history as a notorious and vainglorious party defector.
‘Evidently, his comments more aptly characterized his own convoluted record of defections from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, (ANPP), to the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) in 2007 and back to ANPP and then off to the PDP, and decamping in 2014 to APC and finally crawling back to PDP, ignominiously, in 2018.
‘By his assertions, Tambuwal’s itinerant defections were in chase of “stomach infrastructure”, purely self-serving and without any conscience. A wandering politician like Tambuwal lacks the moral turpitude to comment on the intentions of politicians who have defected from a crisis-ridden PDP to our great party.
‘Instead of begrudging citizens for exercising their fundamental freedom of association, Tambuwal and fellow political villains, like former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, should accept responsibility for the political carnage in the PDP, apologize to their members and maintain a humble and penitent disposition going forward’, APC stated.
The ruling party said contrary to Tambuwal’s jibe, members of the PDP were joining APC, ostensibly, to identify with President Bola Tinubu’s bold economic reform agenda in the face of growing and undeniable positive indications of a resurgent Nigeria.
‘Many of the defectors have offered this as the raison d’etre for their defection, quite apart from the fact that the PDP is in a state of bedlam, and is now an unrecognizable shadow of its old self.
‘Recently, for the first time in many years, on President Tinubu’s vigilant watch, the country has surpassed its Organisation of Petroluem Exporting Countries’ (OPEC’s) quota of 1.5 Mbps. This remarkable feat is attributable to a combination of factors, from vastly improved security to purpose-driven oil sector reforms.
‘Similarly, the country has recorded consistent trade surpluses; increased Foreign Direct Investments, FDIs; high yielding stock market; enhanced foreign reserve and numerous other indices of a steadily rebounding economy’, APC stated.
