PDP rejects APC’s mulling of interim government

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected in its entirety the idea of an Interim Government, which it said is being mooted by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on behalf of the Buhari Presidency.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Kola Ologbondiyan Director, Media & Publicity PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, the party said it cannot accept any form of unconstitutional governance and a contraption like an interim government because it is confident of a landslide victory on February 16, given the overwhelming support, which it’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, enjoys among Nigerians across the board.

The party’s position is a response to the claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed that the opposition was working with terrorists to truncate the election to pave way for an interim national government.

The main opposition party added: “The party said a suggestion of an Interim Government, under any pretext, context or contemplation can only come from desperate and unpatriotic minds in a failed administration or political party that has lost hope of being re-elected in a free, fair and credible election due to its manifest incompetence and humongous corruption.

“Every Nigerian knows the desperation of the APC and the Buhari Presidency ahead of the 2019 general election, leading to their resort to threats, intimidation and clamp down on dissenting voices, as well as, assault on institutions of democracy, in the face of incontrovertible indices pointing to their imminent crushing defeat at the polls.”

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The party hoped that such cruel plot, as revealed by Mohammed, is not the underlining reason behind the APC administration’s alleged neglect and undermining of our security forces fighting in the fronts.

The PDP demanded that the minister comes clean on the source of his information, “if it is not a plot being hatched by the APC.”

“He should tell Nigerians if his source was the Police, the military or the Directorate of State Services (DSS) so that they can appropriately channel their concerns,” the statement said.

The PDP, therefore, urged Nigerians to be at alert and keep an eye on the APC in their nefarious plans against our nation, now that they have made their strategy public.

It stated that on its own part: “The PDP is prepared and ready for the elections. We have been going round the country peacefully, campaigning and presenting our candidate, policies and programmes to the electorate.

“The PDP will therefore not accept any form of interim government, not when Nigerians have already attained a consensus to rally behind and vote in the Peoples Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as their next President, come February 16, 2019.”

The PDP also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and prosecute other leaders of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who have been openly indicted of corruption.

In a separate statement by Ologbodiyan, the party maintained that singling out Lawal and Oke, for prosecution, while providing official cover to numerous other indicted APC leaders and persons close to him, President Buhari has further confirmed that he is indeed partisan and insincere in prosecuting the anti-corruption fight.

It said moreover, the fact that, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mr President had to give his nod before Babachir and Oke could be prosecuted, also goes to further confirm that President Buhari has annexed the system and directly determines who is prosecuted and who is spared.

The PDP, therefore, challenges President Buhari to immediately order the prosecution of all APC leaders, particularly members of his Presidential Campaign Council, beginning with the APC factional National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, the campaign Director-General, Rotimi Amaechi, other directors and zonal coordinators, who have allegations of corruption hanging on their necks.

It added: “Mr President should also immediately order the prosecution of the former aide to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, Mr Baba Inna, who was arrested in September last year, over accusations of receiving N2.5 billion from politicians, businessmen and women on behalf of the First Lady.

“In the same vein, he should also order the prosecution of Mrs. Amina Mohammed, who while being paraded by the Department of State Services (DSS), last year stated in public that persons close to President Buhari were involved in serial fraud and looting of public resources under the official cover of the Buhari Presidency.

“President Buhari should also order an open inquest into the alleged involvement of some individuals said to be close to the Buhari Presidency in the N1.032 trillion alleged corrupt acquisitions in 9Mobile and Keystone Bank PLC.

“He is also invited to order an investigation into allegations that persons close to him and serving in his Presidency took N500 million as a bribe to reduce the fine imposed on a telecommunication company operating in the country, from N1.03 trillion to N330 billion.

“Furthermore, we challenge President Buhari to allow an inquest into the N14 trillion looted oil money under his watch, as detailed in the NNPC leaked memo; the handling of the repatriated $322m that has been siphoned under the guise of sharing to the poor; the N33 billion Internally Displace Persons (IDP) intervention fund and the billions of naira already frittered through the ‘Tradermoni scheme’.

“Until Mr President musters the required political will to carry out these actions, his war against corruption remains a charade.”