By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is unconcerned about the “suffering and agony” of Nigerians.
The opposition party was reacting to a recent statement by Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
Adesina had in a statement on Tuesday said the PDP is seeking to destabilise Nigeria by threatening the country with comments that promote anarchy, social upheaval and disorderliness.
On Monday, the PDP had warned that Nigeria’s situation was getting to a boiling point and could trigger a nationwide agitation that might be worse than the October 2020 #EndSARS protest
Adesina said #EndSARS signifies murder, mayhem mass destruction and cannibalism.
But in a statement on Wednesday, PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, said the ruling party is “frustrated and haunted” by its failures in governance.
Ologunagba said the APC “is running from their shadows and haunted by their failures in governance.”
“PDP’s position is predicated on the outburst by the Buhari Presidency on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, against our party for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to address the lingering fuel crisis and cautioning that the unrelenting culture of arrogance, impunity, suppression and corruption by the APC administration was akin to “kneeling on the necks of Nigerians.
“From the outburst of the Buhari Presidency, Nigerians now realise that the APC administration does not care about the suffering, agony and life discounting experiences encountered by our citizens daily as a result of APC’s thoughtless and inhumane policies.
“If there is anybody seeking to destabilise our nation, it is the sinking, confused and discomfited APC that is clutching to straws and making unguarded statements including boasting that “heavens will not fall” over its refusal to address the lingering fuel crisis.
“The APC administration is afraid because its corruption, impunity and recklessness which are responsible for the biting petrol and diesel crisis, collapsed national grid, distressed aviation sector, plummeting currency and near collapse of the production and service sectors of the economy are being exposed by the PDP.
“The APC is uncomfortable, having been indicted for human rights violations including reported cases of extra-judicial killings, torture, illegal arrests, detentions and other atrocious acts as contained in the June 2021 report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
“Moreover, in stating that the October, 2020 peaceful EndSARS protest by Nigerian youths signified “murder, mayhem, mass destruction, even cannibalism”, the APC administration has confirmed reports of its complicity and approval of the violent attacks and gruesome massacre of innocent youths at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.
“Such a stance on the EndSARS peaceful protest by our youths also questions the sincerity of President Buhari’s description of the protest as “genuine concerns and agitation by Nigerians.”The renewed negative tagging, therefore, appears to be a design by the APC to frame our youths for another onslaught.
“The PDP holds that the EndSARS peaceful protest signifies the resilience of Nigerian youths against injustice, suppression and insensitive system being foisted on our nation by the APC administration. Our party therefore cautions the APC to perish the thought of venting its frustration on the PDP and Nigerian youths.
“It is often said that a bad workman complains about his tools; but a hopelessly irredeemable one (which the APC is) complains about others,” the statement read.
Ologunagba added thatPDP will “never be deterred from exposing APC’s atrocities and fighting for the wellbeing of Nigerians as we march towards 2023 to rescue and rebuild our nation from the misrule.”
