• Buhari celebrating last Democracy Day as president – Secondus
• It’s wishful thinking – Ruling party
Romanus Ugwu; Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
As the nation commemorated its Democracy Day and the All Progressives Congress (APC) marked its third year in office, yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), served the incumbent administration a red card, saying it would be the last President Muhammadu Buhari would celebrate in office.
Prince Uche Secondus said Nigerians cannot afford to extend Buhari’s stay in office beyond 2019 in the interest of the nation’s democracy.
He said Nigerians were anxiously waiting for the next general election to vote out Buhari and his party, a statement the APC dismissed as wishful thinking.
Secondus, in a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, expressed sympathy with Nigerians for the present economic hardship and spate of insecurity, and said never again would a non-democrat be given an opportunity to lead the country.
“If democracy must survive in our country, we must do away with APC; and Nigerians are ready and willing to do just that because they cherish democracy as the best form of government.
“Going by their poor record of performance in the last 36 months, and the determination of Nigerians to put the country in the right footing, this is the last Democracy Day this president will mark.
“Their agenda now is to intimidate, harass and scare opponents to create a police state with the aim of turning the country into one party state but it must be resisted by Nigerians who passed similar road before and came out victorious.
“The next Democracy Day (May, 29, 2019) which Nigerians and indeed all lovers of democracy are anxiously looking forward to would be the smooth transition from confusion and purposeless governance to real democracy which the PDP is returning to gift to the nation.” The PDP chairman, while claiming that the nation’s democracy has been bastardised by the ruling party, called on the international community to show interest in events leading to the 2019 polls.
He alleged that already the government has started intimidating and harassing political opponents across the country.
But reacting, APC’s National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso reminded the PDP that it would be impossible for a party with 24 state governors to lose power and relevance, urging them to rouse from their reverie and concentrate on discharging the responsibilities of the opposition party.
“How can the PDP say such thing? Is the PDP not aware of the giant strides of the present administration? How can the PDP think that a party that has 24 state governors can lose relevance in the scheme of things? PDP must be day-dreaming to claim that this will be the last APC government’s Democracy Day celebration in office. It must be a wishful thinking and they should wake up to the realities.
“I want to urge the PDP to stop crying wolves and concentrate on the opposition job which they have failed to carry out woefully. They are always ranting without proffering solution to what they condemn. Nigerians don’t believe in PDP any longer.
“PDP has not brought any viability to the opposition. It is understandable because the party is still a kindergarten party in opposition,” he noted. Izunaso said it would be wrong to write off the APC based on the minor understanding during its recent ward and state congresses.
“In fact, there is nothing to worry over the outcome of our congresses and I can tell you that they are substantially successful.
“Incidentally, PDP cannot even conduct its congresses successfully because the last time they tried, it landed them in a protracted court case that lasted for two years. All our problems are handled amicably,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, the DP has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s Democracy Day address as hollow and full of false claims.
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the address failed to address critical issues agitating the minds of Nigerians.
“The address, which is the worst since President Buhari took office in 2015, was garnished with a list of phantom projects and executive regurgitations, inherently designed by his handlers to sway Nigerians and divert attention from the many failures of this administration.
“President Buhari’s aloofness to the plight of Nigerians is manifest in all the lines of the speech.
“In fact, no line in the supposed Democracy Day address had any inclination towards justice for victims of abuse of human rights, reported executive high-handedness, illegal arrests and detentions, extra-judicial executions as well as victims of killings and daily bloodletting in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Kaduna,Plateau, Borno, Kogi, Yobe and other parts of the country, by insurgents and marauders.
“Mr. President, on Democracy Day, had no words of assurance on the unrelenting violation of our constitution; assault on the National Assembly and erosion of personal freedom of citizens,” the PDP stated.
It added: “the president’s handlers chose to subject him to a fantasy trip, making false performance claims with phantom projects, muddling up economic statistics and ended up worsening his already diminished public perception.”
Similarly, a chieftain of the PDP and former minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe said the speech failed to address the core issues plaguing the country.
Ogunlewe said told Daily Sun that the address failed to address the issue of millions of Nigerians, who have lost their jobs in the past three years and the several victims of insurgency.