TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the statements of national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr John Oyegun, as the “ranting of a dying breed”.

Oyegun had earlier accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP of destroying institutions in Nigeria in a bid to suppress the opposition and hold on to power.

And replying to Oyegun’s accusations, national publicity secretary of PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh, said the national chairman of the opposition party resorted to “wild and unfounded allegations” with the motive of causing confusion and inciting the people against President Jonathan and the institutions of government.

“While we do not wish to join issues with a party that has become notorious for falsehood, deceit and blackmail, we wish to alert Nigerians that this is part of the orchestrated plot by the APC to discredit and blackmail institutions of government, particularly the legislature, the citadel of democracy and stronghold of the will of the people and ultimately set the stage to destabilise the polity,” Metuh said

“We note that this onslaught against the legislature is not spontaneous. Nigerians may indeed recall the vicious attack on the National Assembly early this year wherein the APC also raised a false alarm that federal lawmakers were being induced with millions of dollars to defect to the PDP.”

He invited Nigerians to note the anti-democratic and anti-Nigeria actions of the APC, saying never in the history of the country has an opposition constituted itself into a rebellion against the nation and its corporate existence.

“Never in the history of this country has the opposition sought spiritedly to cause confusion to destabilise our nation using wild allegations and lies; never has an opposition resorted to supporting insurgency and instigating violence through their utterances for political capital; never has an opposition taken it upon itself to continue to insult and attack the person and office of the President and government institutions for parochial interests,” he continued

“We in the PDP believe in Democracy and the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in our constitution. As such, we have never and will not for any reason whatsoever interfere in the activities of the legislature at any level.

“Our advice to the APC is that resorting to blackmail and unfounded allegations will not help them. They must understand that in a democracy, the will of the people and the rule of law are paramount. Nobody is above the law or above the will of the people. Also they must note that the law does not exonerate an erring official simply because he is in the opposition.”