The Association of Political Parties in Nigeria (APPN) has taken a swipe at the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over its recent comments on insecurity situation of the country.
The association warned the PDP to stop mocking Nigerians by trivalizing the issue of security breaches and insecurity in the land.
APPN was reacting to a recent demand by PDP that the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed should apologise for accusing it and its presidential candidate for the February 23, 2019 poll, Atiku Abubakar, of plotting to subvert the current government.
Dr. Achille Idakwo, National Chairman of APPN in a statement on Thursday, distanced the association from the call by the PDP, urging the party to explain to Nigerians the true identity of those behind the killings of Nigerians and root cause of security breaches in the country.
The statement reads below.
It became necessary to issue this warning now that it has become apparent that the former ruling party is not willing to accept its pivotal responsibility in the creation of security challenges facing the country even as it continues to worsen the situation.
We note, with dismay, the demand by the PDP that the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed should apologise for rightly raising the alarm over that party’s activities in the past and we believe that demand is irresponsible as it amounts to the PDP denying its identity as the nest of vipers. There is no allegation that has been made about the PDP’s involvement in security breaches in the past that has no substance to it.
From the era of PDP’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who reportedly trained 1000 killer snipers in pursuit of his Third Term Agenda, through the ascendancy of Boko Haram, up to the empowerment of Niger Delta militants under Dr, Goodluck Jonathan, the party set the groundwork for what the country is today experiencing.
The kidnappers and bandits of today were in training at that time and were activated beginning 2015 when they were contracted by certain political chieftains as their own way of protesting the loss of corruption related revenue.
Even as we speak, PDP politicians continue to arm youths as their own idea of empowerment. Some PDP governors are known to have created militias, arm and fund them for sinister motives. Only that the youths recruited as militias often divert the weapons given to them to run kidnap business and cattle rustling, past times that have triggered cycle of violence that now appear perpetual.
APPN remains mindful of the position of the PDP global leader and presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, whose unique selling proposition to his prospective American backer is that killings will continue in Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari is allowed to assume the mandate he was widely given by Nigerians at this year’s General Elections. This satanic assertion is on top of other criminal enterprises like the PDP kitting militants with army uniform in Rivers state, hiring killer bandits to cause mayhem in the northwest and continuing to finance Boko Haram in the northeast.
The PDP can therefore not be the very root and cause of insecurity in the land and then wake up to sympathize with Nigerians on the same ugly plague that they brought upon the people. It is a case of shedding crocodile tears, which Nigerians will have none of. The fact that the federal government is being measured in the way it is managing the security breaches being caused by the PDP does not translate into absolution for the killer party.
Our position on this matter is that the country must hurry to address the problems caused by and is till being escalated by the PDP. We should, ordinarily, be calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those that are known to be behind the security breaches in the country but we realize that such decisive action would be followed by cries of the opposition is being hounded.
We, therefore resorted to calling on the PDP, their allies and sponsors behind the killings in the country to halt their attack on Nigerians. It is the last window of opportunity for the PDP to redirect itself to thinking about the interest of the masses even though it is a concept that is alien to it.
APPN is consequently dissociating itself from the call by the PDP as only that party can explain to Nigerians the true identity of those it has recruited to kill Nigerians and cause security breaches in the land. The PDP is also the one entity that can explain the motives behind the killings and correctly tell Nigerians when peace will return to the country.
