TheCable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says after 16 years in power, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still not in tune with the aspirations and dreams of Nigerians.

Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the APC, said this in reaction to the comment of Dayo Adeyeye, his PDP counterpart, who said the opposition party had always supported restructuring.

Abdullahi described the claim as political opportunism, saying the PDP “is realising that restructuring is the new political currency in Nigeria, it is now latching on and even claiming to be an apostle”.

“However, of concern to us is PDP’s rather shallow interpretation of restructuring as desired by Nigerians. In his release, Mr. Adeyeye quoted several aspects of his party’s constitution which he claimed serve as evidence that PDP believes in restructuring,” the statement read.

“A cursory review of the referenced parts of the constitution would, however, suggest either the PDP is deliberately out to mislead or it just does not have an appropriate understanding of the restructuring that Nigerians clamour for.

“For instance, preamble 2(b) of the PDP constitution quoted by Adeyeye states: ‘To work together under the umbrella of the party for the speedy restoration of democracy, the achievement of national reconciliation, economic and social reconstruction and respect for human rights and the rule of law.

“If statements such as the above are what he PDP intends to pass off as restructuring, this should further confirm that the party is still not in tune with the aspirations and dreams of the Nigerian people. It is indeed amusing that after being in power for 16 years, PDP is just waking up to realise that its constitution prescribed restructuring. If this is not political opportunism, we wonder what is.

“We understand that PDP needs desperately to return to reckoning; and realising that restructuring is the new political currency in Nigeria, it is now latching on and even claiming to be an apostle.

“If the PDP now believes in restructuring, we welcome them as latter day converts. But the appropriate behaviour would be for them to respect the efforts we are currently making to deliver on our party’s manifesto on restructuring.

“It must interest the PDP that we have dusted up the reports of their national conferences from the shelves they had left them to gather dust and those reports are now forming part of the work we are doing with our committee, which they have tried hard to denigrate.”