The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has responded to a statement by the information minister saying the opposition party deserves to be deregistered.
While addressing journalists in Lagos on Sunday, Lai Mohammed criticised the PDP’s reaction to the kidnap and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls. The opposition party had expressed skepticism with the kidnap of the 111 schoolgirls, and eventual release of 105 of them, saying the scenario appeared stage-managed by the ruling party.
In his statement, Mr Mohammed said the PDP deserves to be deregistered for allegedly failing both as a ruling and an opposition party
“Indeed, there should be a new criterion for withdrawing the registration of a party like the PDP which has failed both as a ruling and an opposition party,” he said.
The PDP, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, replied saying the APC is less a party compared to the PDP.
“It is clear now that the APC and its federal government have come to their wits end. All they need to do now is to sit by and watch Nigerians collectively return the PDP to powers and by so doing restore the nation to the path of unity, national cohesion and economic prosperity come 2019.
“We want to alert all Nigerians of a clandestine plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government to strangulate the main opposition party and plot the way for the self-succession plan of their candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“The main plank of the plot is to ensure that President Buhari runs as a sole candidate in 2019. To achieve this grand plan, they must work to exterminate all known and perceived political opposition platforms in our country.”
The opposition party also pointed to the inability of the APC to establish some of its constitutional organs as a sign of failure.
“Is it not strange that a party who, in its almost five years of existence, cannot constitute a Board of Trustees (BoT) in line with the provisions of its own constitution will be asking INEC to withdraw the certificate of a party whose all organs are intact and effectively functioning?
“Is it not also laughable that a party, who cannot hold even a non-elective convention, will be calling for the withdrawal of PDP’s certificate?” Mr Ologbondiyan said.
