From: Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disassociated itself from the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stating emphatically that the ruling party did not influence the Federal Appeal court in Port Harcourt or the sealing of the venue for the stakeholders’ meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC), in Abuja.
National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who dispelled the speculation in a chat with Daily Sun in Abuja, maintained that since PDP is not the only opposition party in the country, APC is not interested in whatever that is happening in PDP.
While urging them to mention names of APC person or persons behind their travails, the spokesperson of the party insisted that the affairs of the PDP or other opposition parties never come up in any discussion at the secretariat of the ruling party.
He warned that since Nigeria is not a two party state, the PDP should be careful how they fuel speculations about APC been responsible for its problems, urging members of the opposition to be mindful of how they discredit national institutions like the court.
In his words: “I am yet to understand the claim by the PDP that the APC is causing their problem. They should understand that there are couple of things we should not play with. Essentially, they should be careful how they challenge the credibility of institutions, they cannot claim to be democrats but whenever a ruling goes against them they begin to attack the court and bring down the credibility of the court.
“By alleging that some people influenced the court means that the court did not act on its best judgement. By so doing the PDP is undermining the credibility of the court, which does not augur well for our democracy.
“I have been hearing this allegation that APC is behind whatever that is going on in PDP but I want to categorically put it on record that APC is not interested in what happens to PDP because it is none of our business. And for their information, PDP is not the only opposition party in the country because Nigeria is not a two party state.
“Since we have over 20 of them why should the APC preoccupy itself with just one of the several opposition parties? The PDP should not just generalise that APC influenced last week’s court judgement or behind the sealing of ICC, the venue for their stakeholders’ meeting but rather call names of the individuals behind those acts.
“Instead of making a sweeping statement of what APC did, they should rather name names of any person or group of persons behind such if they are aware of any,” he noted.
Speaking further, the former Minister of Sports equally dismissed insinuation of wide jubilation at the party headquarters after the court ruled in favour of one faction of the PDP, stressing: “I also want to dispel the speculation that there was wide jubilation at the APC headquarters shortly after the court ruled in favour of one of the factions.”
“I speak for the APC and I can tell you that I have not heard a single human being discuss PDP in this national secretariat. For emphasis, what is happening in PDP has never come up in any APC conversation.
“I discuss one on one with NWC members and in groups; I swear by God that no day had anybody mentioned PDP in this office. If they claim that APC government is behind their problem, the government should be in the best place to address,” he quipped.
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