The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over claims that disgruntled politicians and religious leaders are scheming to overthrow President Muhammadu Buhari.
The opposition party was reacting to a statement credited to Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina yesterday, where he said past politicians are conniving with religious leaders and some foreign interests to overthrow a democratically elected president.
“Championed by some disgruntled religious and past political leaders, the intention is to eventually throw the country into a tailspin, which would compel a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership,” Adesina had said.
But in a statement later on Tuesday signed by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the allegation as not only laughable but a resort to blackmail in the face of failure.
In the statement titled ‘Haunted By Your Own Shadows, PDP Tells Buhari Presidency, APC,’ the party said the Buhari-led administration and the APC should live up to the responsibilities of office rather than “engage in frivolous allegations against Nigerians”.
It also accused Buhari of being “the father of coup d’etats in Nigeria and should not cry foul where there is none.”
“It i imperative to state that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress are being haunted by their own shadows as Nigerians know the persons as well as the political party with the history and penchant to scuttle democratically elected government,” the statement reads.
“Perhaps, the Presidency has forgotten that in 1983, Brigadier Muhammadu Buhari, as he was then known, led a military coup to truncate a democratically elected government thereby causing our nation a huge drawback on democratic governance.
“Also, in 2015, the APC, which was hurriedly formulated, made itself available as a vehicle of brigandage to disrupt our political process by beguiling Nigerians and taking power through violence, propaganda and falsehood.
“Even in 2019, Nigerians will be quick to remember how the APC imported bandits, vandals and thugs from neighboring countries, as political mercenaries, to unleash violence, disrupt our voting processes and muscle itself to power.
“The PDP therefore counsels the Buhari Presidency and the APC to look inwards as all fingers toward any possible plots to upturn our democracy points to them.
“Our party believes that the statement by the Buhari Presidency is an attempt by the APC to heighten political tension in our country ahead of the 2023 election, having realized that they cannot face the people at the polls.”
