BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
THE Peoples Democratic Party has asked leaders of the All Progressives Congress to explain their interests in acts of violence and terrorism in Nigeria.
The party said this in reaction to the abduction of hundreds of school boys from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State last Friday.
A statement, signed by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the APC leaders must explain their interests, given that many of them, including some state governors, had admitted establishing contacts with and even paying ransom to bandits.
Describing the ruling party as a party of political bandits, Ologbondiyan slammed the APC for not impressing it on President Buhari to cut short “his unnecessary holiday and make efforts to rescue the abducted students”.
The PDP charged the APC to come clean on what it called manifest conspiracy of silence, saying such silence, in the face of horrific killing and kidnapping of innocent Nigerians, only pointed to the complicity of its leaders.
The statement read, “Indeed, the preference for the welfare of Mr. President’s cattle over the safety of our young students, who are now languishing in their abductors’ den, foregrounds APC’s disdain for Nigerians, for which it should never be entrusted with governance at any level in future.
“Our party and, indeed, discerning Nigerians are not surprised that the APC, as a party, has not forcefully condemned the kidnapping of the students even as it has not raised any strong voice against the recent gruesome killing of 43 farmers in Borno state by terrorists.
“Rather, the APC has tacitly supported the insensitive comment by the Buhari Presidency, which blamed the slain farmers instead of taking steps to apprehend the assailants.
“Our party charges the APC to come clean on this manifest conspiracy of silence as such silence, in the face of horrific killing and kidnapping of innocent Nigerians, only points to the complicity of its leaders.
“The APC leaders must explain their interests in acts of violence and terrorism ravaging our country, particularly, given that many of them, including some state governors, had admitted establishing contacts with and even paying ransom to bandits.
“Moreover, the admission by a terrorist group of being responsible for the Kankara abduction, after the APC government in the state had informed the public that bandits were responsible and that it was already in contact with the said bandits, raises critical questions on the integrity of the claims by the APC government.
“Furthermore, our party recalls that the APC has failed to account for the whereabouts of political mercenaries they imported from neigbouring countries, particularly Chad and Niger Republic, to unleash violence on voters in the 2019 general elections.
“The escalation of banditry during and since after the 2019 elections, therefore calls for explanations by the APC and its leaders.
“Furthermore, our party strongly rejects the unfolding ploy by the APC to set up, ridicule and paint President Buhari as being solely responsible for their collective failure in governance.
“The PDP, standing with Nigerians, insists that the APC must not be allowed to hide under the failure of President Buhari to launder its image as it is the real architect of the misrule of the Buhari administration.
“The APC must answer for its atrocities and fake promises and not think that by abandoning the Buhari Presidency at the eleventh hour and by embarking on name change and orchestrated expulsion of some its state governors and leaders, it will be exonerated by Nigerians.”
