PDP Will Not Insult Gen. Muhammadu Buhari - Metuh

8 years ago

PDP Will Not Insult Gen. Muhammadu Buhari - Metuh

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has said that the party will provide a decent and credible opposition that will constructively proffer sound alternatives to the policies and programmes of the in-coming administration without recourse to insults, propaganda and deceit.

Metuh who stated this at an FRCN political programme on Thursday evening said the PDP would never insult or denigrate the office and person of the Nigerian President.

“The PDP is a political party built on values, tradition and utmost respect for democratic tenets. Our manifesto and ideology center on national peace, stability and prosperity and we shall uphold this at all times. In this wise, the PDP as always, will continue to work in the general interest of the Nigerian people.

“We will not resort to insults, blackmail and lies with the aim to distract or ridicule the person or office of the President. However, we must state in very strong terms that we will not allow them to lead the nation astray. So we will firmly oppose any anti-people policy and programmes as may be introduced by the APC.

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“We will do this by presenting sound alternatives in such a manner that Nigerians will be the utmost beneficiaries especially on issues that will lead the nation in the path of national unity and development”, Metuh said while responding to questions at the programme.

Commenting on the conduct of the April 11, 2015 governorship and state assembly elections, Metuh lamented that the process was characterized by brazen irregularities against the PDP in most states. He upbraided INEC and security agencies for the barefaced

overzealousness on the part of some of their personnel to please the winners of the Presidential elections.

Metuh said concerns are already on the rise regarding the fate of the nation’s democracy under the APC especially given fears that the impunity that characterizes the local government elections it conducts in Southwest states may now be extended to other parts of the nation.

Noting that the elections witnessed massive conspiracy against the PDP, Metuh said his party would not complain in areas where the people clearly preferred the candidates of other parties, but will decisively pursue its mandate in places where there were clear infractions against the PDP. He said such instances abound in states such as Imo, Jigawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Lagos, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Nasarawa and other concerned states.

He observed that in Imo state, authentic result sheets were replaced with those from Kaduna and Katsina states with fictitious figures awarded to APC. According to him, the most scandalous was in Ideato North Local Government Area where INEC awarded about 34,000 votes to the APC even when the number of PVCs collected in the area stands at about 26,000.

The PDP spokesman said his party is collating and analyzing reports of the elections from across the country and will take decisive actions within the ambit of the law to protect the interest of its candidates and the mandate of the people.

He also noted that the PDP has commenced its rebuilding and repositioning effort and is poised to regain power in four years time.

Come and learn opposition spokesmanship from me – Lai Mohammed
However, the All Progressives Congress, APC, spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said he was willing to offer him (Metuh) a free, six-week crash course on his new role as the opposition spokesman.

Reacting to the allegation by Mr. Metuh that the APC has been working to destabilise the PDP, Alhaji Mohameed said in a statement in Abuja on Friday, that during the training, Mr. Metuh will be given free lessons in the spirit of cooperation and for the advancement of the nation’s democracy.

“Metuh will need the training to effectively carry out his new, tough task. It is now obvious that he needs to understand that for him to succeed in his new role, he must be credible, empirical, more sophisticated in language use and very passionate, in addition to being able to operate on a lean or zero budget,” it said.

The APC National Publicity Secretary said it is ludicrous, to say the least, for anyone to suggest that the APC is seeking to destabilize the PDP, when the erstwhile ruling party has done such a great job of crumbling under its own weight, having gorged on the commonwealth.

“Really, it beggars belief to say that the APC is seeking to lure away members of the PDP’s NEC with ‘phantom promises and threats’, with a view to destabilizing the party, when everyone knows the rate at which PDP stalwarts have been rushing to jump off the sinking ship called the PDP before it finally tips over.

”Our National Chairman and our President-elect have even spoken out publicly on this issue, encouraging the eager PDP defectors to stay back in their party so they can provide a formidable opposition to the new ruling party.

How then can anyone accuse the APC of either luring away PDP members or seeking to destabilize a party that has done itself in?” the party queried.

It advised Mr. Metuh to take a little time off so he can engage in some introspection, against the backdrop of the total repudiation by Nigerians of the brand of politics that his party, the PDP, played in its days as the ruling party.

“There is no doubt that Metuh is in a hurry to do his work as an opposition spokesman. He should not worry. He should save his energy, because he would need it, in addition to the crash course which has been offered to him freely, if he is to function effectively in his new role. Having been in opposition for so long, we can tell Metuh that it is not a cakewalk.

”Lies by themselves never travel far enough for the truth not to catch up with them, as the PDP must have now realized when its strategy of muckraking, distortion of facts and blatant falsehood – under the guise of electioneering campaign – failed to turn the tide in its favour during the last elections. But it seems the lead actors in that failed strategy, Metuh included, have not yet learnt their lessons, hence they have continued to engage in their despicable pastime.

”The APC has no time to waste on luring away members of the PDP. We have our hands full as we seek to clear the mess that the PDP has made of Nigeria and the state of hopelessness to which its 16-year rule has plunged the citizens.

Because Nigerians wanted change, they voted for our party. How then can the party of change allow itself to become populated by the same folks whom Nigerians have rejected?” APC said.