By Emeka Alex Duru
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday admonished the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to deal with its own demons rather than dragging it into its internal affairs.
The admonition followed the directive by the APC same day to its aggrieved members to feel free to join the PDP.
The PDP which accused the APC of choosing to fight dirty in the public said by so doing, the ruling party “has again demonstrated its insensitivity and contempt towards the values and feelings of Nigerians,” and queried, “How else can it justify its choice of fouling the national space at a time compatriots are observing the blessings of Eid-el- Fitri?”
Responding to a call by his counterpart in the APC, Isa Oniru for aggrieved members to team up with the PDP, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Tuesday said it was most reprehensible that “after pushing Nigerians into anguish and economic misery, the crisis-ridden APC will not allow our people to celebrate the end of Ramadan in peace.”
The statement added: “It is imperative to state that the PDP, as a responsible party, will not join the APC in its shameless dance, yet, the APC must know that it must answer for its failures, depravities and unrestrained looting of our national treasury in the last four years.
“This is the same APC, whose national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, confirmed as a sanctuary of looters and unpatriotic people, when he declared that, ‘once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven.’
“It has also become clear to Nigerians that the APC is fixated on the PDP and has become feverish by the reinvention of the PDP to serve the interest of the people. This is in addition to the fact that majority of Nigerians now believe more in our party, the PDP, after seeing through the lies, deceit and failures of the APC and its government.
“The APC must face the truism that having divided our people, wrecked our once robust economy, returned our nation to a debtor status and brought so much misery to the extent that our compatriots now resort to suicide and slavery mission abroad as options, Nigerians cannot continue to lend it any support.
“The determined optimism expressed by majority of Nigerians for the retrieval of our stolen Presidential mandate at the tribunal as well as the spontaneous jubilation across the country over the victory of the PDP in state governorship elections shows that the people are eager to have the PDP back at the saddle of governance.
“This is because, while in office, the PDP, as a people-oriented party, remained dedicated to the wellbeing of the people.”
It further noted that while in power, “The PDP administration salvaged our nation from a pariah status, paid off our foreign debts, grew the economy to become one of the fastest growing economies on the world map, revolutionized our aviation, telecommunication, automobile, education, agriculture, sports, entertainment, health, housing, railway, power and other critical sectors of our economy for the good of the people.
“The PDP also strengthened our democratic institutions, created anti-graft agencies, equipped our security agencies, engendered equity and social justice, maintained a strict adherence to rule of law, respect for the rights of citizens and provided electoral reforms that guaranteed credible elections in our country.
“Nigerians are saddened that the incompetent, divisive, vindictive and deceitful APC has reversed all the gains achieved by the PDP in a space of four years. If anything, the APC has only succeeded in bringing economic misery, escalated insecurity, piling foreign debts, dilapidated infrastructure and despondency in our country.”
The PDP advised the ruling party to seek restitution for the alleged misery it caused the nation “instead of always looking for scapegoats where none exist.”
