By Daniel Kanu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly respond to issues contained in the open letter addressed to him by a chieftain of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank.
Timi Frank wrote an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari where he apologised to former President Goodluck Jonathan and lamented cases of corruption, battered economy, killings, hunger and injustice under the Buhari administration.
Frank, who was a Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, in the letter released on Sunday in Abuja, titled: “Open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of the nation,” said the Buhari government has shown total disdain for court pronouncements and the enforcement of fundamental human rights of citizens.
While tendering an apology to Jonathan for his role in voting him (Jonathan) out in 2015, Frank told Buhari that “under your tenure the rule of law has been replaced with the rule of force. You have injected fear into the society.
“People who voted for you to save them from corruption and ineptitude have been barred from speaking up against the myriads of evil and wicked acts being perpetrated by officials in your government.
“Unfortunately, corruption is in the upward swing under your watch. This is why I had to apologize to Jonathan since events of the last three years have shown the former President was a better leader.
“People freely expressed themselves under Jonathan’s administration without fear of being branded cultists’ sponsors, gunrunners or aiding murderers. But not so under this administration.
“Under Jonathan, Nigerians enjoyed freedom of speech, association and right to hold dissenting views including organizing and partaking in protests against unwelcome government policies. All these are no go areas today.
“Does it mean Jonathan was a better democrat? It is a fact that no member of the APC which was then in the opposition before 2015 was jailed or harassed for expressing dissent.
“However, under this administration, the Senate President is being persecuted, Senator Dino Melaye has been arrested and detained like a common criminal, Senator Matthew Urhroghide had been attacked for telling Nigerians that the Federal Government breached the Constitution by paying the sum of $496 million for 12 Tucano fighter jets without National Assembly approval; the trial of Senator Isa Misau by the AGF over his face-off with the Inspector General of Police, the persecution of most members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the name of fighting corruption are all examples of intolerance under this administration.
“Mr. President, while your fight against corruption is being promoted as gathering steam leading to an award given to you by the African Union (AU) recently, the allegation of illegal award of $25 billion contracts leveled against the GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has not been investigated but rather the malfeasance and shoddy dealing in the NNPC has been swept under the carpet because as the substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources any probe of the agency will require that you make some explanations.”
While urging Nigerians to wake up and face the current realities “and save Nigeria from total collapse under the jackboots of impunity by this administration,” the Bayelsa born politician also said “history will not be fair to me if I had championed the campaigns against former President Jonathan and now remain silent in the face of anti-democratic tendencies and sheer impunity.”
However, responding in a brief statement on Sunday evening, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said Frank had long ceased to be an important member of the party.
“Our attention has been drawn to a report on the online newspaper, thecable.ng in which one Timi Frank was addressed as a ‘Chieftain’ of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Abdullahi said.
“We wish to correct the wrong designation and remind the newspaper and indeed the general public that Timi Frank has since November 2016 been suspended as a member of the APC following a recommendation of an APC disciplinary committee and subsequent ratification by the Party’s South South Zonal Executive Committee.
“Hence, whatever position Timi Frank holds or canvasses is done in his personal capacity and has no bearing on the APC.”
But reacting on Monday through its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said Buhari’s response had become imperative given the weighty issue of humongous corruption, intimidation of citizens, erosion of freedom, constitutional breaches and persecution of citizens under the guise of fight against corruption.
The statement said, “The PDP commends Timi Frank’s action as patriotic, bold, courageous and in the interest of the nation. We therefore urge other democrats and public-spirited persons in the APC to speak out for our nation and take the bold step of withdrawing from the APC and rallying with other well-meaning Nigerians in the repositioned PDP.
“We implore them to come and join hands with other democrats, who are daily working on the modality to rescue the soul of our nation from the stranglehold of the APC and the Buhari Presidency.
“Finally, the PDP cautions the APC to stop the unwarranted attack against Timi Frank and others who boldly state the truth, particularly as the current tide of our nation requires the support of patriots, who will rise above partisan sentiments.”
