The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the All Progressives Congress, APC’s ‘unwarranted invective’ on former President Goodluck Jonathan was misdirected as it best suits President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC administration.
The party stated this in reaction to the APC’s endorsement of former British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s earlier criticism of Mr Jonathan.
Mr Cameron in his new book, For the Record, condemned Mr Jonathan’s handling of the kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014.
He said the then Nigerian president was “sleeping on the wheel” while the terrorists struck in Borno.
The former prime minister, apart from alleging that Mr Jonathan’s administration rejected the British offer to help in the rescue of the Chibok girls, also reportedly accused the administration of corruption.
According to Mr Jonathan’s response to the allegation on Saturday.
“It is quite sad that Mr Cameron would say this because nothing of such ever occurred. As President of Nigeria, I not only wrote letters to then Prime Minister David Cameron, I also wrote to the then US President, Barrack Obama, and the then French President, François Hollande, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appealing to them for help in rescuing the Chibok Girls,” Mr Jonathan said in a statement which he published on his Facebook page, Saturday afternoon.
In its reaction, the APC had said Mr Jonathan’s reply notwithstanding, his government failed to act promptly to rescue the kidnapped girls, over 100 of whom are still with the terrorists.
PEP reacts
In a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbodiyan, said the attack on Mr Jonathan is a desperate tactic by the APC and the Buhari Presidency to divert public attention from the recent shocking corruption and fraud revelations in which close relatives and confidants of Mr President are mentioned.
“The PDP has been made aware of how the Presidency has been in a frenzy to suppress investigations and deflect public enquiries from the arrest of President Buhari’s known confidant(e) deported from the United Kingdom for alleged international passport scam and money laundering, as it knows that an inquest will further expose the huge rot in the Buhari Presidency.”
“Our party has equally been made aware of how the APC and the Buhari Presidency have been desperate to divert public attention from the administration’s obnoxious decision to further oppress Nigerians by reintroducing tollgates on our highway, increasing Value Added Tax (VAT), electricity bill and other tariffs as well as their despicable plot to sack government workers,” Mr Ologbondiyan said.
The party charged the APC and the Buhari Presidency “to perish the idea of thinking that these unnecessary distortions on the Jonathan administration would bury the demand for an inquest into the Danu racket through which billions of naira meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians are allegedly being diverted to private purses”.
Allegations
“The PDP invites Nigerians to note how the APC had remained silent since revelations that its key leaders and the cabal at the Presidency are involved in the stealing of over N14 trillion meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“Our party further challenges the APC and the Buhari Presidency to speak out on the alleged diversion of the N500 billion meant for the Social Investment Programme among other humongous fraud directly perpetrated under the Buhari Presidency.
“Furthermore, in trying to tar the PDP, the APC forgets that it is already common knowledge that all the bad eggs that brought a bad name to the PDP have since left our repositioned party to the APC where their National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who also has a huge corruption allegation on his neck, admitted that the party is a haven for corrupt persons.
“Moreover, the fact that President Buhari can only surround himself with persons openly indicted for corruption, as ministers and advisers, speaks volume of the administration’s posturing on corruption.
“The PDP, therefore, charges the APC not to think that it can cover its mess by trying to make unfounded allegations against President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP as Nigerians can now see through their shenanigans,” the statement read.