TheCable

Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked the presidency to take ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism as words of wisdom.

During an interactive session with some socio-cultural groups in Abuja on Friday, the ex-president accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of mismanaging the country’s socio-economic development.

He also said Nigeria is drifting towards a failed state under Buhari.

Reacting to his allegations, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, described Obasanjo as Nigeria’s “divider-in-chief.

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, also hit Obasanjo whom he said has no genuine love for Nigeria.

But Secondus said the elder statesman deserves commendation “for standing up to save the country at its worst time in history”.

He accused the presidency of playing to the gallery, instead of “embracing the words of wisdom from patriotic elders”.

According to Ike Abonyi, spokesman of Secondus, the opposition leader commended Obasanjo for “always exhibiting exceptional patriotism whenever the challenge in the country overwhelms as its in the country today”.

“Prince Secondus then charged President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling All Progress Congress, APC, to dispose themselves to absorbing the words of wisdom and stop grandstanding even as the nation under their watch is going down,” the statement read.

“He also warned the Presidency against abusing and disrespecting nationalists who fought for the unity of this country.”

The statement also quoted Secondus as calling on the federal government to ensure that the Edo gubernatorial election is free and fair.

He alleged that “the needless tension in Edo is being orchestrated by the APC, to establish a basis to invite the security agencies to intervene unduly in the electoral process”.

“Democracy strives well under rule of law and this is all the people of Edo state are asking for, to let their will prevail on September 19, 2020,” the statement quoted Secondus as saying.

“To deploy military and other security agencies to do election duties outside the one statutorily assigned to them as was witnessed in 2019 general election and the gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa and Kogi state clearly undermines democracy

“We saw and witnessed the gimmick in Osun, Bayelsa, Kano states where security operatives were used to disrupt polls at PDP strong areas leading to cancellation and the so called inconclusive elections.”