SAN FRANCISCO July 16, (THEWILL) – Reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, boast that it was set to regain power in 2019 following last week’s resolution of its leadership crisis at the Supreme Court, the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Sunday advised the Ahmed Makarfi-led party not to stretch its luck too far.
In a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC stated that Nigerians would not return the PDP to power in future elections because of the fear that Nigeria might “disappear” should it be allowed again to dominate the political landscape.
The ruling party added that the main opposition party should not think of power until it has rebranded to address its image problem arising from the association of most of its leaders with corruption.
Abdullahi’s statement which was in response to a story in the Vanguard Newspaper of Saturday titled, “2019: PDP Unveils Plans to Sack APC”, said the ruling party was delighted by the PDP’s talk of holding the APC-led federal government accountable.
It reiterated its accusation that the PDP had engaged in a “brand of opposition politics (that) had been characterised mainly by allegation mongering and open incitements of separatist agitations across the country.”
The statement read in part, “We had dismissed Makarfi’s statement as part of the excitement that follows a favourable court ruling. However, since that Wednesdayverdict, we noticed that several of his supporters and party members have expressed similar sentiment. We therefore feel the need to respond appropriately.
“In recent past, the PDP brand of opposition politics had been characterized mainly by allegation mongering and open incitements of separatist agitations across the country. It appears however that the outcome of Wednesday ruling is beginning to set them on a different course. We are therefore delighted that the PDP is beginning to talk about holding the APC accountable for the promises in our manifesto.
“We want Nigerians, not just the PDP, to hold us accountable for every promise contained in our manifesto. We only urge them to be fair. A manifesto is not a four-year programme. If PDP had fully implemented its manifesto in the 16 years that it was in power, Nigerians would not have been attracted to the APC promise of change in 2015, because there would have been little left to promise.”
The APC spokesman stated that the problem with the PDP as it is currently constituted is that only a few people left in the party whose faces do not represent the face of corruption.
He also reacted to a media report which quoted an unnamed former minister as comparing the PDP and the APC to a tale of two wives, saying that Nigerians have tried the two and had seen who was better.
Abdullahi said, “We find this metaphor quite interesting. We need to point out however that APC is the new wife that is busy working at the kitchen that has been looted empty by the former wife who had made away with the entire foodstuff and even the kitchen utensils. Nigerians know this. If the food is a little late in coming, they understand the circumstance.
“But if that other thieving wife now begins to argue that she was a better cook and should be brought back into the kitchen because the new wife is a slow cook, then that should pass for hypocrisy. No matter the temporary hardship that we may be experiencing, Nigerians know better than to bring PDP back to power so soon for fear that this time, they might disappear with the kitchen itself.”
He also slammed the PDP for allegedly mocking President Muhammadu Buhari’s health situation, saying: “We have seen in the last few days, some members of the PDP who have boasted to defeat President Buhari in 2019. We urge Nigerians to Google the names of these individuals and see what comes up. It is however understandable, even if not acceptable, that when the lion is enfeebled, even a rabbit would grow the temerity to tweak its tail.”
The statement urged Nigerians to remain resolute in support of the APC and President Buhari, voicing the party’s belief that the current difficulty “is only a passing phase”.
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