The national leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), should blame itself for the current state it has found itself.This is just as the governing party described as childish and laughable, the conspiracy theory being bandied about by the PDP over its misfortune.
The APC also called on members of the PDP who are genuinely inspired by the APC-led administration, to feel free to join the APC fold, saying "it is their right to abandon a sinking ship and join one that is smooth-sailing".
National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who stated these views in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, described as laughable, the main opposition party's claim that APC is afraid that the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, who is currently standing trial on corruption charges, may be eyeing the presidency in 2019.
The PDP spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, who made the claim in a statement yesterday, also alleged that "the federal government is persecuting, and not prosecuting Col. Sambo Dasuki. The APC and its leaders fear that Dasuki, given his vast political and security network, may be harbouring a presidential ambition, more so that the PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the North".
According to Metuh, the APC is obviously seeking to destroy the PDP so that it can push through Buhari's second tenure in 2019 without any serious opposition from the PDP.
In his response, Oyegun said: "Whoever the PDP picks as its candidate for the 2019 presidential election is not the business of the APC. Relevant laws in the country clearly spell out requirements for persons seeking election into all political offices.
"The preoccupation of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari is to deliver on all the promises made to Nigerians by the party during the 2015 elections. Looking back at the last seven months, there are clear indicators showing that the APC and the Buhari-led administration is on the right track to delivering on its Change Agenda.
"The PDP speaks of a presidential directive to security agencies and judiciary to "coerce" and "convict" PDP leaders and officials of the immediate-past administration with corruption charges. Clearly, such abuse of presidential directives was a concept invented and effectively deployed by the PDP during its defunct 16-year rule. The APC is a law-abiding party and cannot adopt such diabolical concept. The APC believes strongly in the rule of law, as against the kind of impunity Nigeria witnessed under the PDP for 16 years.
"We assure Nigerians that the PDP conspiracy theories will not distract President Buhari's administration, law enforcement and anti-graft agencies from the successful on-going war against corruption being waged on looters of our commonwealth. The ongoing war against corruption is not selective. Anybody guilty of corrupt practices will face the law".
