TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has maintained that its rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a “janjaweed party promoting insurgency and acts of terrorism”.

Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun, on Tuesday declared that his party had been vindicated by the revelations of Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, who named former governor of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff and former chief of army staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, as sponsors of Boko Haram.

Oyegun also alleged that  the sponsors of Boko Haram were friends of President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling party.

But reacting on Wednesday to Oyegun’s statements, PDP, through its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the APC national chairman cheapened his office and person by attempting to use an “unempirical statement” by Davis to absolve his party of blames for promoting insurgency in the country.

“Whilst we recognise the right of citizens to hold and canvass opinion in a democratic setting such as guaranteed under the PDP-led administration, we hold, and strongly too, that such rights must be properly and respectably exercised. It is therefore shocking and worrisome that the APC national chairman, in a frenzied effort to extricate his party, could issue a statement completely lacking in validity, character and intellectual content befitting of a national chairman of a political party,” PDP said.

“Oyegun’s statement, rather than exonerate the APC, has reinforced and underscored its true identity as a party of desperate politicians supportive of violence and disunity through their utterances and body language, a fact that is already well-known to all Nigerians. In trying to stand the truth on its head, Oyegun has succeeded in further exposing the desperation of the APC to launder its image through renewed propaganda and blackmail, a project which has already failed.

“If not to achieve the self-serving purpose of exonerating the APC, why would Oyegun’s statement choose to be silent on the revelation by Davis that some people opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan used their connections to Boko Haram to frustrate his efforts? We also wonder why the APC has chosen to ignore some of the revealing aspects of Dr. Davis’ interview concerning Boko Haram’s funding and sponsorship. Is it because they are not favourable to them?”

It described Oyegun’s statements as a decoy to frustrate genuine efforts at finding solution to the security challenges of the country.

“Nigerians may recall the frenzy with which the APC fought against moves by the British Parliament to investigate its involvement with terrorist elements as well as to divert attention from their meetings outside the shores of our country in their bid to promote insurgency in Nigeria,” PDP said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to restate that we stand by our statements that the APC, as a party with a Janjaweed ideology, has been promoting insurgency and acts of terrorism through the actions and utterances of its leaders. Indeed, no amount of blackmail or propaganda can erase this truth.Nigerians have since noted the pattern and timing of violent attacks against our people which betray a trend tailored against the PDP and the Federal Government and provide impetus for the APC to find a voice and thrive. They know that it has become a recurring decimal that whenever the PDP or the Federal Government records or is about to record a major milestone, insurgents launch attacks on the people.

“Oyegun must understand that Nigerians know the APC for what it truly is and can no longer be hoodwinked by propaganda, blackmail and tactical misrepresentation. He should therefore stop debasing his office by struggling for media space with his national publicity secretary.

“It is indeed disheartening that the APC national chairman has continued to disparage his office and age by making series of unguarded and inflammatory utterances and issuing statements laced with fabrications and wild allegations while leading his party like a frustrated rebel group desperate for political control, and whose understanding of opposition is crass unruliness and a culture of irresponsibility.”

The party added that Oyegun had only succeeded in disappointing many Nigerians who thought his coming to office would result in a more responsible and constructive opposition.

“Instead, the reprehensible image of the APC as a party that has nothing good to offer has worsened under his watch,” it said.

“In the last two months, he has made more incendiary statements aimed to incite the people and balkanize the nation than any other opposition chairman has done. The threat to form a parallel government and other inflammatory statements at APC events readily come to mind. Our advice to the opposition is that they should learn to properly comport themselves, eschew bitterness, desperation and divisive tendencies and think of how to make meaningful contributions to tackle the challenges facing the nation.

“On his own part, Chief Oyegun, as a former state governor, should retrace his steps and strive to be nationalistic and statesmanlike and comport himself as an opposition leader. For now, he is a little more than a glorified media assistant. A word is enough for the wise.”