Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged that killing of APC members in People’s Democratic Party (PDP) states are politically motivated.
After the National Working Committee (NWC) met for several hours, yesterday, he told newsmen that the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s promise to create millions of jobs annually is not true.
Oshiomhole did not equally spare Senate President, Bukola Saraki, when he said the party’s victory in Kwara State, in last weekend’s House of Representatives by-election, was “a dress rehearsal of the political burial that awaits him next year.”
On the allegation of politically motivated killings in PDP states, he said: “We discussed a very disturbing development in some states where the PDP is using the state instrument, misusing the police the way they like to undermine the basic democratic rights of the APC in those states they feel they are in charge.
“A typical example was what happened in Akwa-Ibom, where the Commissioner of Police colluded with the state governor to force the APC out of the House of Assembly… In Rivers state, two members of the House of Assembly were abducted and one of them found dead.
“We do not think that these were normal criminals but we are beginning to wonder the way which our party leaders particularly in states we found not have governors the way they gone under attack, violent and even assassination.
“These are, for me, very dangerous signals and we want to appeal to all those active in the political process that we must respect the right of every Nigerian to belong to party of their choice.”
On Saraki, he said: “I think the good people of Kwara state have dealt him a big blow.
“That defeat in Kwara, as far as we are concerned, particularly by person he did not put in place to stand election, means a lot to us. We are not going to accept a Nigerian variant where a minority party presides over the affairs of the National Assembly; whether as dictated by Bukola Saraki or as represented by Yakubu Dogara, in the House of Representatives because it is not right.”
He also spoke on Atiku’s promise to create jobs.
“If you are going to put air conditioners on Nigeria roads, you have to tell us how you are going to design it and why you couldn’t design the air-conditioner, even for a room and parlour. I think issues like that would be asked.
There is no magic. If you are going to create 10 millon jobs, how come that when you were in government before and you produced a SEED document where you promised to create seven million jobs, by the time when that government was out, we had lost Michelin, Dunlop, closed down entire texile industries. We witnessed unprecedented industrial obituary. Factories were closing one after the other…”
In a related development, the party has set up six reconciliation committees, divided into the six geo-political zones.
Kano Governor, Abdullah Ganduje heads the panel in the South East while Yobe Governor, Ibrahim Geidam heads the committee.
Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima heads the reconciliation panel for the South West while Oyo Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi chairs the North West panel. For the South South, out-going Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola is chairman and for the North East, it is Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura.