Today at 3:44 PM
Text of Press Conference By the National Publicity Secretary Of The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, Today Sunday, October
18, 2015
Gentlemen of the press, we have called you up this afternoon to, through
you, expose the hypocrisy, double standard and dictatorial proclivities
of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Government in its orchestrated
anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.
Whereas the PDP has over time restated its support for a credible,
holistic fight against corruption, unfolding events have confirmed our
position that this administration is only using the anti-corruption
posture as a tool to witch-hunt PDP members and perceived political
opponents of APC government.
We are aware that having realized that Nigerians have seen through their
propaganda, deceit and lies, as well as their ineptitude in handling
governance, the APC government is now mortally afraid of the on-going
rebuilding in the PDP to take over power in 2019, and is as such,
applying every negative means to decimate our great party, including the
relentless victimization of our key members.
It is clearly manifest that the same dictatorial tendencies manifested
during the military regime of 1984 is being presently applied in the
polity in the attempt to discredit PDP members and weaken our great
party ahead of 2019.
The APC and its government have been busy denigrating the PDP and trying
to appropriate our achievements, while at the same time blackmailing,
hounding and harassing our elected members with the aim to cow and force
them to leave the PDP and join their party.
We have verifiable reports from our key members that agents of the APC
have been approaching them to join the APC with threats to use the EFCC
to victimize them should they refuse. The APC and its agents have been
boasting that they have the powers to deal with or spare any person,
depending on the party such person belongs to.
This clearly explains why the so-called fight against corruption has
been selective and focused against PDP members, despite counsels by
stakeholders that it should be holistic and in accordance with the due
process of the law.
The best example of the curious nature of the war against corruption is
the fact that former PDP governors and ministers are being hounded and
arrested over apparently orchestrated petitions, while their APC
counterparts, who have more damaging petitions are being nominated for
ministerial positions. Even other APC former governors who have
on-going corruption cases in court are being rewarded with APC tickets
for the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.
On the issue of Senator Godswill Akpabio, we invite Nigerians to note
that in the three rich states of Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Lagos states,
there were petitions against their former governors. Whereas the former
APC governors of Lagos and Rivers were rewarded with ministerial
nominations, their Akwa Ibom PDP counterpart and the current Senate
Minority Leader is being hounded by the EFCC.
This is in spite of the common knowledge that Akwa-Ibom under the
Senator Akpabio is arguably the least indebted state in Nigeria, and
where the governor appropriately applied available resources to
effectively transform the state. We challenge the APC to show Nigerians
any of their governor that matched the feats achieved in Akwa-Ibom under
Senator Akpabio, whose only building in Uyo is uncompleted and being
built with verifiable bank loans.
The PDP therefore state categorically that the orchestrated
investigation of Senator Akpabio is politically motivated and targeted
at weakening the PDP for 2019 elections, by virtue of his being the face
of opposition in the National Assembly.
It is also part of the fight by the Presidency to weaken the legislature
as an arm of government and prevent it from effectively carrying out its
constitutional role of checks and balances in a democracy.
As we speak, no APC member, despite the public petitions of corruption
and squandering of state funds, has been invited or questioned by the
EFCC. We challenge the EFCC, as an anti-corruption agency, to show
Nigerians any member of the APC it has so far questioned, not to talk of
being arrested since the emergence of this administration, despite
petitions against them.
Recall that even the case of former Adamawa state Governor Murtala Nyako
started before the advent of the current administration but is now
reportedly being worked on ostensibly to extricate APC members involved.
This government has established itself as a hypocritical regime that
accommodates corruption, profligacy and sleazes in government quarters
while hoodwinking the people and witch-hunting PDP members.
The hypocrisy of this administration came to the fore with the show of
insensitivity to the mood of the nation as copiously demonstrated in
Saturday’s ostentatious thanksgiving party (with hundreds of millions of
naira spent) by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SFG)
Engr. Babachir David Lawal, at a time the people of the North East
geo-political zone, where he hails from, are being ravaged by
insurgency.
Finally, we request Mr. President to end this dictatorial proclivity of
selective anti-corruption war that has characterized the APC government.
Signed:
Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, Today Sunday, October
18, 2015
Gentlemen of the press, we have called you up this afternoon to, through
you, expose the hypocrisy, double standard and dictatorial proclivities
of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Government in its orchestrated
anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.
Whereas the PDP has over time restated its support for a credible,
holistic fight against corruption, unfolding events have confirmed our
position that this administration is only using the anti-corruption
posture as a tool to witch-hunt PDP members and perceived political
opponents of APC government.
We are aware that having realized that Nigerians have seen through their
propaganda, deceit and lies, as well as their ineptitude in handling
governance, the APC government is now mortally afraid of the on-going
rebuilding in the PDP to take over power in 2019, and is as such,
applying every negative means to decimate our great party, including the
relentless victimization of our key members.
It is clearly manifest that the same dictatorial tendencies manifested
during the military regime of 1984 is being presently applied in the
polity in the attempt to discredit PDP members and weaken our great
party ahead of 2019.
The APC and its government have been busy denigrating the PDP and trying
to appropriate our achievements, while at the same time blackmailing,
hounding and harassing our elected members with the aim to cow and force
them to leave the PDP and join their party.
We have verifiable reports from our key members that agents of the APC
have been approaching them to join the APC with threats to use the EFCC
to victimize them should they refuse. The APC and its agents have been
boasting that they have the powers to deal with or spare any person,
depending on the party such person belongs to.
This clearly explains why the so-called fight against corruption has
been selective and focused against PDP members, despite counsels by
stakeholders that it should be holistic and in accordance with the due
process of the law.
The best example of the curious nature of the war against corruption is
the fact that former PDP governors and ministers are being hounded and
arrested over apparently orchestrated petitions, while their APC
counterparts, who have more damaging petitions are being nominated for
ministerial positions. Even other APC former governors who have
on-going corruption cases in court are being rewarded with APC tickets
for the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.
On the issue of Senator Godswill Akpabio, we invite Nigerians to note
that in the three rich states of Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Lagos states,
there were petitions against their former governors. Whereas the former
APC governors of Lagos and Rivers were rewarded with ministerial
nominations, their Akwa Ibom PDP counterpart and the current Senate
Minority Leader is being hounded by the EFCC.
This is in spite of the common knowledge that Akwa-Ibom under the
Senator Akpabio is arguably the least indebted state in Nigeria, and
where the governor appropriately applied available resources to
effectively transform the state. We challenge the APC to show Nigerians
any of their governor that matched the feats achieved in Akwa-Ibom under
Senator Akpabio, whose only building in Uyo is uncompleted and being
built with verifiable bank loans.
The PDP therefore state categorically that the orchestrated
investigation of Senator Akpabio is politically motivated and targeted
at weakening the PDP for 2019 elections, by virtue of his being the face
of opposition in the National Assembly.
It is also part of the fight by the Presidency to weaken the legislature
as an arm of government and prevent it from effectively carrying out its
constitutional role of checks and balances in a democracy.
As we speak, no APC member, despite the public petitions of corruption
and squandering of state funds, has been invited or questioned by the
EFCC. We challenge the EFCC, as an anti-corruption agency, to show
Nigerians any member of the APC it has so far questioned, not to talk of
being arrested since the emergence of this administration, despite
petitions against them.
Recall that even the case of former Adamawa state Governor Murtala Nyako
started before the advent of the current administration but is now
reportedly being worked on ostensibly to extricate APC members involved.
This government has established itself as a hypocritical regime that
accommodates corruption, profligacy and sleazes in government quarters
while hoodwinking the people and witch-hunting PDP members.
The hypocrisy of this administration came to the fore with the show of
insensitivity to the mood of the nation as copiously demonstrated in
Saturday’s ostentatious thanksgiving party (with hundreds of millions of
naira spent) by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SFG)
Engr. Babachir David Lawal, at a time the people of the North East
geo-political zone, where he hails from, are being ravaged by
insurgency.
Finally, we request Mr. President to end this dictatorial proclivity of
selective anti-corruption war that has characterized the APC government.
Signed:
Chief Olisa Metuh
National Publicity Secretary
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