Information and Culture minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party’s desperation to return to power in 2023 was responsible for its plan “to sabotage” the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He leveled the allegation while briefing journalists in Abuja, noting that the plan of the main opposition party was to overheat the polity, distort Buhari’s achievement, and misinform Nigerians.
His words: “As you know, the folks on the other side have been doing everything in recent times to overheat the polity, distort the achievements of our administration, and spread misinformation.
”Yes, it is very cold out there for the hungry and desperate opposition, but every indication is that they don’t even want to wait for the 2023 elections before testing their popularity or acceptability at the polls.
”How else does one explain their court case seeking the declaration of our convention as illegal? How do you explain their threat of another EndSARS that pushed Nigerians to the brink? How do you explain their glaring misinformation regarding the nation’s state of affairs?
“Gentlemen, there is nothing wrong in having a fiery and viable opposition in a democracy. We were there before and we remain the ones to beat in terms of determined, viable, and relentless opposition. But, in our time, not once did we advocate the destruction of Nigeria just because we couldn’t have our way.
“Not once did we seek to gain power via a desperate court action. If you destroy the country you are seeking to govern, what country will you govern? Must you cut your nose to spite your face?”
‘Where do kidnappers rescue their victims’? Lai Mohammed asks PDP over 2023 return plan
The minister also questioned the rationale behind the opposition party’s moves to return to power in 2023.
”In their most recent act of desperation, they sought to erase seven years of unprecedented achievements by the Buhari Administration. In the most egregious show of shamelessness and a blatant refusal to be remorseful, they even had the audacity to express righteous indignation that the damage they inflicted on the country in their 16 years of misrule has not been totally undone in just seven years.
“In other words, those who brought the country to its knees are now accusing those working hard to repair things of non-performance. They said they are ready to rescue Nigeria. Pray, where do kidnappers rescue their victims? These same guys who kidnapped the fortunes of their country are suddenly posing as rescuers. Caveat Emptor. Buyers beware! Nigerians Beware!”
“We are not under any illusion that they will stop their misrepresentation.
“No, because in their desperation to return to complete their demolition work on Nigeria, these folks will stop at nothing to paint us bad.
“But the good news is that Nigerians remain traumatized by their 16-year misrule, and will not return to ‘Egypt’ by allowing the ‘demolition gang’ back to office. In the meantime, let them present their 16-year stewardship in all the areas we have listed above and let Nigerians judge!”
The PDP had on Sunday, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, condemned the just concluded APC national convention where new party executives emerged through consensus, which it described as imposition, as undemocratic.
“The PDP describes the APC jamboree in the name of a National Convention as a Convention of lies, celebration of illegality, corruption and arrogance in failure adding that any leadership birthed through such process can only be overtly corrupt, debauch and illegal.
“It is clear that with the combination of the corrupt, deceitful and rudderless Buhari-led APC government and the illegitimate Abdullahi Adamu-led party leadership, corruption, economic hardship and rudderlessness in the APC government will worsen in our country in the remaining one year of the APC in government.
“The composition of the APC national leadership is a clear confirmation that President Buhari has never been committed to the fight against corruption as well as his willingness to further open our national vaults to ravenous treasury looters in the APC.
“The PDP challenges members of the illegitimate APC national leadership, particularly Sen. Adamu to come clean on corruption charges against them.
“The new APC Chairman should inform Nigerians why he was not courageous enough to submit himself to trial at the Federal High Court, Lafia, Nasarawa State rather than hide under technicalities. Senator Adamu should therefore come clean to Nigerians on the said case before parading himself as a saint.
“It is therefore pathetic to see Sen. Adamu showboating on stage to impress his puppet master by attempting to denigrate other Nigerians and our great Party, the PDP.
“Our Party has only pity for Sen. Adamu and does not intend to confer him an undue relevance with a response. Sen. Adamu should however be conscious of the fact that time does not run against the State in criminal matters. He should therefore not have any illusion that being an APC Chairman will avail him a perpetual cover.
“Moreover, it was appalling to see APC leaders come out one after the other at their national jamboree to spew out lies and false performance claims on the economy, infrastructure and security even in the face of biting economic hardship, high cost of living, excruciating fuel emergency, lingering crisis in the education sector and escalated insecurity that was happening real time and simultaneously when the ridiculous claims of achievement were being made.
“Is it not shameful that while APC leaders were lying on stage in Abuja, terrorists were busy attacking the Kaduna International Airport, located in an APC controlled state?
“In any case, the PDP restates its cautions that the purported APC National Working Committee (NWC) does not have the legitimacy of office as the process that produced it under the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) remains unconstitutional and flawed.
“The PDP cautions aspirants intending to participate in the 2023 general elections under the APC to note that they are on a journey to nowhere with the APC.”
Besides, the PDP had on March 25 instituted a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking among others, a declaration that the March 26 national convention of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is illegal.
It also wanted the court to issue an order de-registering the APC as a political party on the grounds that it allegedly failed to meet the requirements of sections 222(a), 223(b) and 225 of the Constitution.
In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/389/2022 filed for the PDP by its lawyer, Samuel Irabor, the party argued that by a certified true copy of the list of APC’s current leadership it obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party (APC) was being run by a 13 members Executive Committee, whose members fall bellow the number stipulated in Section 223 of the Constitution.
In the suit filed on March 25, 2022, it argued that by the provision of the Constitution, a political party’s Exco or Governing body must be drawn from 2/3 of the 36 states of federation which amount to 24 members.
Listed as defendants in the case are INEC, the APC, its Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee(CECPC) and the National Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
The party is also praying the court to declare all prior acts and decisions of the Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC before the institution of the suit as well as all subsequent acts, including the convention of March 26 as null and void and proceed further to order a de-registration of the APC by INEC in line with Section 225A of the 1999 constitution.
In the application, the PDP equally asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising, communicating with, dealing with or having any business whatsoever with the APC as a registered political party.
The parry averred that by a certified true copy of INEC’s list of APC’s current EXCO, the party is being run by a 13-member EXCO .
It said the constitutional stipulations in Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution that the EXCO or Governing Body of a political party must be drawn from two-third of the 36 states of Nigeria is mathematically 24.
It urged the court to declare all the prior acts of the Mala Buni-led caretaker committee leading to the institution of the suit as well as all subsequent acts, including the convention of March 26 is null and void.
It prayed for order to de-registrar the APC by INEC in line with Section 225A of the 1999 constitution.
In the originating summons brought pursuant to Order 3, Rule 6 of the Federal High Court Rules, the party urged the court to determine “whether upon a calm consideration of Section 223(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the leadership of the APC (2nd defendants) can be made up of only 13 members as presently constituted by the chairman of the CECPC and forwarded/registered with the 1st defendant (INEC).
“And if the answer is in the negative, whether the APC has any valid leadership so called, forwarded /registered with INEC in compliance with Section 223(1) of the 1999 Constitution and whether any act done by the said leadership is valid and founded in law.
” If the answer to the 2nd and 3rd legs of the issue in the above paragraph is further in the negative, whether the APC is not liable to be de-registered as a political party pursuant to Sections 222(a), 223(2)(b) and 225(A) of the 1999 Constitution.”
It sought “a declaration that by the express provisions of Section 223(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the leadership of the APC cannot be made up of only 13 members as presently constituted by the chairman of the CECPC and forwarded /registered with INEC.
“A declaration that all the prior actions and subsequent actions undertaken by the defendants are null void and of no effect.”
The matter was yet to be assigned to a judge as at the time of filing the story on Friday.
