PDP accuses APC of justifying Buhari’s ‘insensitivity’ to killing of soldiers

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the effort by the All Progressive Congress (APC) to justify President Muhammadu Buhari’s “neglect of our fighting troops, leading to the killing of over 100 soldiers by insurgents, as abhorrent, reprehensible and a slap on the sensibility of Nigerians.”

The PDP said on Tuesday in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, that by this, “the APC, as a party, has fully demonstrated that it is a dysfunctional organisation which attaches no value to the lives of our soldiers or other Nigerians, but more interested in seeing funeral ceremonies and gloating over the graves of its victims.”

The main opposition party wondered: “Why would the APC attempt to wave off revelations, which are already in the public domain, that officials of the Buhari Presidency are diverting funds meant for military equipment and welfare of our soldiers to finance Mr. president’s re-election campaign.

“If the APC were not jittery over revelations that it is a core beneficiary of this evil racket, why is it rushing to defend the Minister of Defence on findings that he diverted military funds to produce campaign materials for the APC including an electronic momento, with APC logo boldly inscribed on them?

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“The APC, in its hallucination, forgot that Nigerians already know that the neglect of the Buhari Presidency led to the killing of our soldiers and that the President and the APC had remained unconcerned and only started shedding crocodile tears after a public outcry on the killing and their ominous silence.”

The party challenges the APC to explain to Nigerians why it took President Buhari, as Commander-in-Chief, a whole week to express ‘shock’ over the killing of over 100 of the nation’s soldiers.

It further asked: “Does that not portray our President as a commander who has abandoned his troops and cares less of happenings in the front?

“What has the APC to say to the fact that the Buhari Presidency failed to act on the threats by insurgents to attack the military base days before the deadly invasion and killing of our soldiers?

“What has APC to say to the fact that at the time our soldiers were being attacked by insurgents, our Service Chiefs were busy participating in President Buhari’s re-election campaign rally and launch of Next Level mantra, stolen from a foreign institute?

“What has the APC to say to the fact that instead of being at the forefront of investigations, our Minister of Defence was busy using military funds to produce campaign souvenirs for President Buhari and the APC?”

The party noted that “It is, therefore, an unpardonable assault on the sensibility of Nigerians for the APC to, in any way, attempt to justify President Buhari’s negligence and inaction toward the welfare of our soldiers as well as the diversion of military fund for Mr President re-election campaign at the expense of the lives of Nigerians.

“If the APC is not complicit in this heinous crime against our nation, we challenge it to join the PDP in demanding for a National Assembly inquest into the killing and the handling of anti-insurgency funds under President Buhari, instead of this resort to wicked hypocritical posturing.”