The Peoples Democratic Party lamented, yesterday, that since the All Progressives Congress took over power at the centre, it has not provided any sign of seriousness and direction, but was engulfed in selfish infighting for positions of power while the nation drifts.
In a statement, yesterday, by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party noted that the situation is unhealthy for democracy and national development, adding, “the concern of well-meaning
Nigerians is that this may be a pointer to the fact that the APC lacks clear-cut directions on how to govern a nation as complex as Nigeria.”
The PDP observed that though it is expected among politicians in a democracy to jostle for political offices, Nigerians were not comfortable with the confusion in the APC’s camp and the dimension it has assumed.
According to the PDP: “The negative effect of the glaring political commotion in the APC is compounding President Buhari’s self confessed nervousness and puzzlement, his flip-flops and worrisome reneging on campaign promises for which Nigerians will continue to hold him accountable.
“Instead of fighting for positions, which betrays their lust, APC leaders should be more concerned with how to help President Buhari, who is still struggling with his ministerial list and basic appointments more than a week after his inauguration.
“They should be more concerned with how to end insurgency by the end of July as promised by President Buhari in his April 2, 2015 CNN interview.
“They should be concerned about how to pay N5,000 each to 25 million poor Nigerians beginning from the end of June; how to bring the naira to the same value with the dollar; provide allowances to the discharged, but unemployed Youth Corps members for 12 months; provide free education and meals for school children, among others, as they promised during the campaigns.
“We invite the APC to note the concern of Nigerians that the pictures emanating from their camp are not reassuring in this direction.”
PDP also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to apologise to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerians for seeking regional cooperation to find solution to the challenge of insurgency in some parts of the country when the former had once chastised the immediate past President for making a similar move to nip the crisis in the bud.
The PDP also condemned what it described as the venom with which the APC attacked well-meaning Nigerians for daring to offer constructive criticisms to President Buhari, following apparent loss of tempo in the fight against insurgency since he took office, describing such as unacceptable in a democracy, especially in a country like Nigeria, where the citizens had been enjoying freedom of expression in the last 16 years under the PDP.
Metuh said: “The APC must understand that the hallmark of democracy is freedom of expression and opinion, particularly on governance issues; inalienable rights of all citizens guaranteed by the constitution and which must not be denied them under any guise, whatsoever.
“Though we had decided to give President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party sometime to settle down, indicators show that the APC is not getting its bearing right and the PDP as a party that has nurtured and sustained democracy in the last 16 years, we cannot fold our hands and watch our nation drift towards dangerous undemocratic paths,” the party said.
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