PDP accuses APC of planning a one-party system in Nigeria

In what appears to be the full assumption of an opposition party role, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun a round of accusations against the emerging “governing party”, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP in a statement on Sunday accused the APC of planning a one-party system in Nigeria and encouraging mass defection of its members to APC.

The party cited APC's meeting with prominent members of PDP as proof that the APC is encouraging mass defection and disharmony in PDP.

The accusation coincided with the demand for a greater recognition for the South-east geo-political region in the merging dispensation.

The call for a greater role for the South-east came from a media practitioner and public affairs analyst, Mr. Innocent Ebirim, who argued that contrary to the impression created in the polity that there are no lawmakers in the National assembly elected on the platform of the APC, there are some three lawmakers produced by the party in Imo State.

A former national chairman of PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor, last week held a closed-door meeting with the National Chairman of APC, John Odigie Oyegun.

The party further said that it does not need a refresher course from the APC to effectively function as an opposition political party.

Reacting to Friday's statement by the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, which the PDP described as self-serving, it said that the spokesman of APC in his usual ill-mannered and condemnable approach left the allegation of moving Nigeria towards a one-party state and dwelt on insults, disdainful comments and personal attacks.

PDP in the statement said that it aligns with the stand of its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who accused APC of plotting to impose a one-party system on the country and is now approaching some senior members of the PDP with phantom promises and threats ostensibly to destabilise the party.

According to the statement signed by the PDP Directorate Department, it asked: "Is Alhaji Lai Mohammed feigning ignorance of the various recent open and nocturnal meetings of his party with highly respected members of the PDP?

"We are aware that as part of the plot, the APC in the past few weeks, has been luring and encouraging some of our members to issue derogatory statements against the leadership of our party. While some of their accomplices have openly decamped, we know that others have been instructed to stay back and cause crisis within our ranks.

"Even in states where they lost, the APC has engaged in violence and instigating crisis all in the bid to impose a one-party system on the country."

Dismissing the call by Mohammed to Metuh to come for a refresher course on how to manage publicity as the opposition party, the PDP Publicity Directorate said: "The PDP National Publicity Secretary does not need Alhaji Mohammed’s so-called six weeks crash course in party publicity. He does not need a course on how to insult and denigrate the office and person of the president of our country.

"He has already made it clear that the PDP will do no such thing but only focus on constructive criticism while presenting credible alternatives to the policies and programmes of the incoming administration in a manner that will promote democracy and the well-being of Nigerians.

"Nobody can learn anything from the APC National Publicity Secretary except abuses, divisiveness, lies and hate campaign. Nigerians know that Lai Mohammed is the originator of hate campaign with which he fouled our contemporary political arena. It is to say the least, despicable that his style badly influenced hundreds of young people who now engage in abusing one another on the social media thinking that such is what publicity is all about.

"For emphasis, we ask Alhaji Mohammed to go back to the statements the PDP and APC issued in the last three months and he will realise that while he was busy with hate campaign, raining insults and telling lies, Chief Metuh focused only on points, marketing our candidates while promoting policies and issues that engender national unity, stability and progress. He therefore has nothing to learn from Lai Mohammed.

"The APC spokesman must understand that Chief Metuh is not in any way the weakest link but has only chosen to be mature, humble and civil in dealing with national issues.

"We therefore counsel Alhaji Mohammed to be careful with the way he is parading himself as a Colossus bestriding the globe; otherwise one would think that he is suffering from Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD).

"Finally, while we urge him to purge himself and learn to be civil in his approach to issues, we also strongly advise that "those whose palm kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble."

Credit: Channels