- Says APC having pre-election trauma
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded that the presidency immediately make public all issues relating to the private visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom.
The party, which queried the presidency for always shrouding issues around the president in secrecy, pointedly demanded a full disclosure on the scope, purpose, direct destination, duration as well as the cost and source of the funding for this undisclosed tourism.
The PDP, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday said President Buhari is not a private citizen and cannot embark on private trips and wrapped in secrecy, since his upkeep draws directly from national resources and taxpayers’ money.
According to him, “While the PDP has nothing against the president embarking on any trip, we insist that as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there must be full disclosures to Nigerians because the citizens deserve to know the purpose of the visit and the cost on the country.
“We know that the president is billed to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place between April 16 and 20, but Nigerians are wondering why he is taking off to an undisclosed destination in London two weeks ahead.
“We ask: ‘Is President Buhari and his handlers hiding anything from Nigerians so much that they cannot disclose the reason and duration of the so-called private visit?’
“Nigerians are invited to note that this secret visit has a departure date but silent on the purpose, date and place of arrival.
“Today, our economy is hemorrhaging and the citizens are languishing because of the continued lack of accountability and total incompetence of the Buhari-led administration.
“The PDP insists that public officers at all levels, particularly the occupier of the office of the president, must be accountable, transparent and answerable in all their dealings at all times, especially under an administration that claims zero tolerance for corruption.”
Also yesterday, the opposition party in a statement, said the APC was passing through death throes and pre-election trauma as its leaders are now in a frenzy over the baggage of an extremely unpopular presidential candidate, ahead of the 2019 general election.
It added that the confusion, backstabbing and vicious scheming in the APC was a tragic testimony of a party that has become politically decapitated by the evident dishonesty, greed, selfishness and lust for power by its incompetent leaders.
The PDP noted that it was now clear that the ruling party is an ideologically empty movement and a special purpose vehicle put together by egoistic strange bedfellows just for the purpose of winning political power and not for the good of Nigerians.
“The APC is stewing in its own venomous broth. The nation can now see why, even with a sitting President, the party is still finding it difficult to agree on simple issues, but always attempt to circumvent and violate the laws to push desperate agenda of their selfish leaders.
“We call on Nigerians not to be deceived by the sudden law-abiding stance of the APC, as it is merely cosmetic and meant to cloak their hidden but soon to be manifested plots to manipulate the laws to push a self-succession plan of their incompetent candidate.
“It is evident that APC has never had anything to offer Nigerians other than confusion, disagreements, economic recession, bad national image and painful bloodletting.
“Nigerians must therefore remain alert and very wary of all activities of power mongers in the APC, who are so mortally afraid of elections that they are ready to destroy our democratic institution to achieve their selfish agenda of perpetuating themselves in power to the peril of our dear nation.
“On our own part, the repositioned PDP remains open with a level playing ground for all Nigerians to aspire for any position, without hindrances or manipulations, while ensuring strict observance to internal democracy at all level of our process.”