… Ruling PDP Says It is The Ranting of A Dying Breed
SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the impeached governor of Adamawa, Murtala Nyako saying he is innocent of the allegations against him.
The party also accused President Goodluck Jonathan of destroying opposition strongholds to ensure his re-election in 2015.
National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, announced the APC’s position Wednesday during a world press conference in Abuja.
“The entire impeachment of governor Nyako is so fraught with irregularities, bias, judicial contradictions and in violation of every procedural and constitutional provisions that it is the worst manifestation of impunity. We intend to mount an immediate and rigorous challenge to this gross injustice to the party and people of Adamawa,” Odigie-Oyegun said.
He said the Jonathan administration has committed as many times the same offences being counted against Nasarawa state governor Tanko Al-Makura, who is currently under threat of impeachment.
The party chairman said, “Right now as we speak, over N500 million has allegedly been moved to Nasarawa to induce the state’s lawmakers to impeach Gov. Al-Makura, and in Edo, each lawmaker has allegedly been offered N75 million naira to impeach Gov. Adams Oshiomhole.
“Our party cannot fold it arms and allow enemies of democracy to truncate our hard earned democracy. Nyako’s alleged impeachment offences were committed five years ago, and were not even impeachable when he was in the PDP, but the moment he decamped to the APC, they became impeachable.”
The APC also accused the ruling party of executing evil machinations in Ekiti and Adamawa, adding, “they have carried it to Nasarawa, and they have Edo, Osun and Rivers in their sights.”
“What is Gov. Al-Makura of Nasarawa being threatened with impeachment for? Allegations of extra-budgetary expenditure, the same offence that President Jonathan has committed many times.
“In fact, on only on the 10th of July 2014, the Senate passed a resolution asking President Goodluck Jonathan to prepare and submit to the National Assembly supplementary budget to cover the over expenditure in the sum of N90.693 billion (US$585 billion) for PMS subsidy 2012 and the sum of N685.910 billion (US$4.430 billion) for Kerosene (DPK) subsidy expended without appropriation by the National
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its reaction to the statement described it as the “Ranting of A Dying Breed.”
The party in a statement by Olisa Metuh, its National Publicity Secretary, accused the APC National Chairman and the party of resorting to “wild and unfounded allegations to cause confusion and incite the people against the President…”
“Our attention has been drawn to yet another inflammatory address by the National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun wherein he resorted to wild and unfounded allegations to cause confusion and incite the people against the President, the PDP and institutions of government.
“While we do not wish to join issues with a party that has become notorious for falsehood, deceit and blackmail, we wish to alert Nigerians that this is part of the orchestrated plot by the APC to discredit and blackmail institutions of government, particularly the legislature, the citadel of democracy and stronghold of the will of the people and ultimately set the stage to destabilize the polity.
“We note that this onslaught against the legislature is not spontaneous. Nigerians may indeed recall the vicious attack on the National Assembly early this year wherein the APC also raised a false alarm that federal lawmakers were being induced with millions of dollars to defect to the PDP.
“We invite Nigerians to note the anti-democratic and anti-Nigeria actions of the APC. Indeed, never in the history of this country has an opposition constituted itself into a rebellion against our dear nation and its corporate existence. Never in the history of this country has the opposition sought spiritedly to cause confusion to destabilize our nation using wild allegations and lies; never has an opposition resorted to supporting insurgency and instigating violence through their utterances for political capital; never has an opposition taken it upon itself to continue to insult and attack the person and office of the President and government institutions for parochial interests.
“We in the PDP believe in Democracy and the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in our constitution. As such, we have never and will not for any reason whatsoever interfere in the activities of the legislature at any level.
“Our advice to the APC is that resorting to blackmail and unfounded allegations will not help them. They must understand that in a democracy, the will of the people and the rule of law are paramount. Nobody is above the law or above the will of the people. Also they must note that the law does not exonerate an erring official simply because he is in the opposition,” Olisa Metuh, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary said.
