All Progressives Congress, APC has lambasted the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for asking the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to nullify the election that produced Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the ruling party.
APC described PDP’s action as displayed of ignorance on electoral rules and internal party elections.
The party said it read with dismay but without surprise, the statement released by the opposition PDP calling on
INEC to annul the results of the highly-successful National Convention of the Party held last Weekend.
Bolaji Abdullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja noted that the ruling party imagined the utter shock and disappointment the dying opposition Party must have felt to see that its prediction of collapse for APC ahead of the Convention did not come to pass.
Abdullahi observed that unable to recover from the shock, PDP now indulge in ignorant whimper, calling on INEC to help them do what they are best at doing which is annulling elections.
He said; “it is quite distressing to
note that a Party that held power for 16 years did not know that INEC has no role in internal elections of a political party”
“We also wonder which position the PDP contested for at our Convention which entitles them to take it upon themselves to challenge the process.
“If the PDP now sees itself as an interested party in our internal elections, we would encourage them to send their petitions to the Convention Appeals Committee of our party. We however do not expect them to understand the process of internal democracy.
“It is clear to everyone that having been kicked out of power, the PDP still has no idea what to do three years after. However, playing the busybody and so openly advertising their ignorance of basic electoral rules will make it even more difficult for Nigerians to grant them the forgiveness that they have begged for.
“What is PDP’s grouse? That INEC should not recognize the new APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as his emergence by affirmation is according to the PDP in violation of democratic requirements of direct voting by delegates”, the APC Spokesman stated.
Abdullahi explained that APC election guidelines provide that all Party posts prescribed by its constitution can be filled by democratically conducted elections or by Consensus, provided that where a candidate has emerged by Consensus for an elective position, a vote of “Yes” or “No” is called to ensure that it was not an imposition.
He maintained that this was clearly adhered to in many positions, including the National Chairmanship position which was unopposed, noting that APC understood PDP’s problem which is the fear of the new National Chairman of the party.
“They are terrified by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. They know that with him they will no longer have a breathing space. Hence the baseless allegations peddling and conspiracy theory which we are now accustomed to as part of PDP’s sorry attempt to play ‘opposition politics’.
“It is indeed ridiculous that a Party whose Convention was a bazaar where delegates were bought and sold with dollars could brazenly allege corruption against our Party. They should go ahead and show which governors contributed the amount being alleged to the convention.
“We have dealt with the issue of membership contributions in an earlier statement. We however ask this “new anti-corruption crusaders” to start with the basic task of producing audited accounts.
“Till today, APC remains the only political party in the country to have done so. Nigerians know that PDP talking about corruption is like prostitutes preaching sexual morality. They won’t take them seriously”, he contended.
Abdullahi stated that APC also find it quite amusing, the PDP’s ill informed attempt to politicise the recent poverty reports by a United States think-tank, saying, the party do not expect PDP to be aware that the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics releases report on poverty rates every year to help the work of policy planners and not to play politics.
He said the only difference however is that such reports were never allowed seeing the lights of the day under the PDP administration, even as it is the same party under whose rule Nigeria was not able to achieve a single one of the Millennium Development Goals which they conveniently turned to another racket.
The APC Spokesman argued that, for avoidance of doubts, the party refer PDP to a similar report by the Fitch International in 2016 which reported a “constant decline” since 2011 culminating in Nigeria’s 60% poverty rating by 2015.
“The challenge of poverty is a global challenge and not a competition among countries or a race for the bottom. Our party acknowledges this challenge and will continue to work hard with both local and international partners to find solutions.
“What we will not do is to exploit the reality of poverty to create another ineffectual ‘palliative’ that will end up as another slush fund or ‘job for the boys'”, Abdullahi stressed.
