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| Olisa Metuh picture |
NATIONAL leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP today took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari over statements attributed to him, saying that Nigerians who gave him 97% of their votes will be better treated than those who gave him 5%, saying that declaration was not only vindictive, divisive, but an attempt by the president to govern the country in a discriminatory manner.
According to PDP, the President Buhari was setting a record as no president in the history of the country had ever made such a statement the PDP described as biased and partisan, adding that it has become imperative for the president to come and explain if this would form the basis of government appointments, thereby jettisoning total adherence to merit and the principle of Federal character as enshrined in the constitution.
President Buhari in a session with foreign journalists in Washington DC during his visit to the United States had stated clearly that those who voted for him 97% cannot get the same dividends of his government as those that didn’t vote for him or voted 5%.
Addressing Journalists today , PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh who described the recent visit of the President to the United States of America as a guest of President Barrack Obama as embarrassing, stressed that the absence of an economic team for healthy and informed discussion at the meeting with officials of the US government was a serious blunder and gaffes.
The PDP also lampooned the Government over comments by the Director of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Hussien warning former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan that if he sees her again at the Protocol Lounge of the Port Harcourt Airport, she would be dealt with, just as the party urged the presidency to call the officer to order, adding, ” the recent organised public humiliation of the immediate past First lady and wife of the former President, Dame Patience Jonathan at the Port Harcourt airport where she was refused access to the protocol lounge based on ” order from Abuja” is a particular case in point.
” We stress this case because when the immediate past President was in power, all former Presidents and their slouches had unhindered access to the protocol lounge.”
Metuh who urged President Buhari to explain to Nigerians his planned World Bank Loan of $2.1 billion for purposes unknown to Nigerians if the government was actually transparent, however asked the President to account to Nigerians the cost of governance since May against the backdrop that he has taken some very serious decisions without recourse to relevant Statutory arms and organs of government.
The PDP spokesperson who stressed that the All Progressives Congress, APC government so far has no direction, said, “President Buhari told a stunned audience in the US that “constituencies that gave me 97 percent cannot in all honesty be treated, on some issues, with constituencies that gave me 5 percent”, signifying that his government will be discriminatory.
APC fires back at PDP's statement. Read below...
It said that in the light of the above, the APC will not dignify the latest in a series of confused statements by the PDP with any response. ”We can only say that we have been justified, and indeed prescient, in our earlier offer to organize a crash course for Olisa Metuh so that he can more effectively perform his role as the spokesman of the main opposition party.
Those who thought we were joking with that offer can now see that indeed, Mr. Metuh is seriously in need of some form of coaching on his new role,” APC said. The party said for the record, no government in Nigeria’s recent history has been as focused and systematic as the one headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in restoring good governance, especially coming after the worst stretch of governance, lasting all of 16 years, by the immoral and reckless PDP.
It is worth noting that even the leader of the world’s foremost democracy, President Barack Obama, said that much during the recent visit to the US of President Buhari, when he described him (President Buhari) as a man of integrity with a clear agenda. ”President Buhari is working hard every day in the priority areas of tackling security and corruption, rebooting the economy to provide jobs for our teeming youths and generally to restore good governance.
We are sorry for those who are too blind with hatred to see this. ”We know that the PDP is terrified by the expose of how the Federal Government it led has looted the treasury and created an environment for impunity to thrive, as well as the fate that will befall those who were part of the show of shame and disgust.
But we assure Nigerians that this government will not interfere with the work of the security and anti-corruption agencies, and also that under the Buhari Administration, only the guilty needs to be afraid. ”In the meantime, no amount of mumbo jumbo from the PDP will stop the Buhari Administration from its tough but inevitable task of restoring Nigeria’s lost glory,” APC said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary APC
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the PDP as a party cannot provide any worthwhile opposition to the APC-led Federal Government if its spokesman continues to issue convoluted and fustian statements just so that he can be in the news.
Today’s statement is the most tortuous yet by the PDP and, honestly, sounds more like a compendium of beer parlour gossips and side talks than a serious criticism of a sitting government,” the APC said in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.”To be in opposition does not mean you have to constitute yourself to a nuisance by rushing to the press with all sorts of hot air statements. It is the quality, rather than the frequency, of your interventions that makes you relevant as an opposition in a democracy,” the party said
It said that in the light of the above, the APC will not dignify the latest in a series of confused statements by the PDP with any response. ”We can only say that we have been justified, and indeed prescient, in our earlier offer to organize a crash course for Olisa Metuh so that he can more effectively perform his role as the spokesman of the main opposition party.
Those who thought we were joking with that offer can now see that indeed, Mr. Metuh is seriously in need of some form of coaching on his new role,” APC said. The party said for the record, no government in Nigeria’s recent history has been as focused and systematic as the one headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in restoring good governance, especially coming after the worst stretch of governance, lasting all of 16 years, by the immoral and reckless PDP.
It is worth noting that even the leader of the world’s foremost democracy, President Barack Obama, said that much during the recent visit to the US of President Buhari, when he described him (President Buhari) as a man of integrity with a clear agenda. ”President Buhari is working hard every day in the priority areas of tackling security and corruption, rebooting the economy to provide jobs for our teeming youths and generally to restore good governance.
We are sorry for those who are too blind with hatred to see this. ”We know that the PDP is terrified by the expose of how the Federal Government it led has looted the treasury and created an environment for impunity to thrive, as well as the fate that will befall those who were part of the show of shame and disgust.
But we assure Nigerians that this government will not interfere with the work of the security and anti-corruption agencies, and also that under the Buhari Administration, only the guilty needs to be afraid. ”In the meantime, no amount of mumbo jumbo from the PDP will stop the Buhari Administration from its tough but inevitable task of restoring Nigeria’s lost glory,” APC said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary APC
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