The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Sunday, alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at its Saturday’s convention, decided to punish the South-West for voting against the PDP in the 2015 elections.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC said the failure of the South-West to get the PDP chairmanship was a punishment meted out to the zone by the former ruling party.
The ruling party further said the national convention of the PDP had once again showed Nigerians that corruption was deeply rooted in the PDP’s genes.
The APC explained that the outcome of the PDP national convention did not only reduce the opposition party to a regional party, it also exposed it as a party unwilling to change for the better.
“With revelations of how money-for-votes and systematic rigging were brazenly perpetuated during the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress is mindful of the popular axiom: ‘a leopard cannot change its spots’.
“The abnormalities that trailed the PDP National Convention have further exposed the PDP as a party not ready and willing to change.
“Indeed, the PDP has once again displayed itself to the generality of Nigerians that it is a party with corruption deeply rooted in its DNA.
“Again, it is tragic that the PDP, which used to pride itself as ‘the biggest political party in Africa’, has now been reduced to a regional party. By frustrating the South-West’s chairmanship candidates, it is unfortunate that the PDP has decided to punish the South-West for not voting for the party in 2015.”
At the convention, Prince Uche Secondus from Rivers State emerged as the chairman of the PDP in the early hours of Sunday.
The APC also urged members of the PDP, who could pass “the integrity test”, to join the APC in order to bring about the much-needed change the country deserves.
However, in a statement by its new National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said the APC’s statement was laughable, stressing that the APC, which had “roundly failed in not only managing the affairs of the country, but also its own internal issues, will recourse to panic mode just because the PDP has succeeded in uniting its fronts by conducting a very credible elective national convention.”
He said the PDP was aware of many plots by the APC to sabotage the convention, which failed.
“We were very much aware of the plots by the APC to scuttle the convention, and failing, it has resorted to a failed attempt to discredit an elective convention that has been adjudged as creditable, novel and laudable by political stakeholders and lovers of democracy across the nation.
“This unwarranted attack is only symptomatic of a party that has lost control and only clutching to straws for survival having been rejected outright by Nigerians.
“Is it not disgusting, reprehensible and embarrassing that the APC, that has repeatedly failed to hold meetings, congresses and convention in the last three years and has flagrantly continued to violate its own constitution, is questioning our party’s rights to perform its legitimate and constitutional obligation?
“Perhaps the APC leaders have never read Article 25 (A)(i) of their party’s Constitution which stipulates that ‘the National Convention of the party (APC) shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee and approved by the National Executive Committee subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission and at least 14 days notice given to members eligible to attend.
“Which impunity could be higher than APC violating its constitution? It is strange that APC could be moralising on the principles of social justice whereas its actions against Nigerians are a complete departure from the norms.
“It is important for this spokesman of a failed party and his pack of incompetent members to reminisce on the needless pains and suffering they have inflicted on Nigerians rather than being jittery over the successful outcome of the PDP’s elective national convention.”
Ologbodiyan added that it was no longer news that the nation “is drifting under APC and the PDP has come to the rescue.”
“We must therefore remind the APC that the era of deceit, trickery and scaremongering, which has been the hallmarks of their government, is gone and Nigerians are just waiting to kick them out come 2019.”
In a similar vein, the Organising Secretary of the PDP in the South-West, Fasiu Bakene, described as a blatant lie the claim by the APC that the PDP punished South-West for voting against the former ruling party in 2015.
“This is another blatant lie of the APC, which is seeking the sympathy of the South-West for its abysmal failure in keeping its electoral promises,” he stated.