Warning over volatile comments: PDP backs Pres. Jonathan, insists violence is APC’s ideology

Find the PDP press statement below...

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan on his warning to leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and some former office holders to desist from sowing seeds of discord among the people with their incendiary utterances.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Saturday described Mr. President's statement as a "perfect act in nationalism, the mark of true leader who is committed to the interest and welfare of the nation and her citizens” and urged the opposition to heed this caution, show decency, patriotism and shun do-or-die quest for power.

The Party said that the President had shown as always that he is “a committed national and patriotic leader, a decent politician, a lover of a united, stable and prosperous Nigeria and a champion of the integrity of the nation’s electoral process.”

According to the PDP, “it is the height of hypocrisy that the APC, known for making inflammatory and divisive statements would turn round to point a finger of guilt at the President.

“It is indeed unfortunate that instead of retracing their steps, as all well-meaning citizens would have done under the circumstance, the APC, in their desperation, went ahead to justify their unguarded statements with renewed personal attack on the President.

“By refusing to heed calls by patriotic Nigerians including the President to shed their penchant for inciting statements, and for showing no remorse over the fact that their statements fuel violence and insurgency, the APC has again confirmed that it is a party of unpatriotic elements on a mission to destroy our country.

“This has further confirmed that APC is a party of determined and irredeemable anarchists; a tool in the hands of enemies of our dear nation whose agenda is to divide the people and break up the nation for their selfish interests.

“Nigerians can now see the real reason the APC has been attacking, not only the Presidency but also key institutions of government, including the National Assembly, the judiciary, INEC as well as the military and other security forces. For the APC, every institution that represents or protects the unity of the nation must be attacked, weakened and ultimately destroyed.”

The PDP said this was the agenda behind the move by the APC to politicise the military and other security agencies, including the DSS and the Police.

“Nigerians were shocked and we find it very absurd that the leadership of the APC justified the unhealthy comments by the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of the APC and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who came under the cloak of fake populism to attempt to politicise the military.

“While some people thought that Amaechi was alone in an attention-seeking stunt, the justification by the APC has clearly shown that he was pursing his party’s ignoble agenda, which is to drag the military into the political arena, destroy its unity and professionalism and ultimately weaken it ahead of their plot to unleash mayhem in the country by forming a parallel government after they must have lost the 2015 Presidential election,” it said.

Stating that the Jonathan administration has rebuilt and re-equipped the military to confront the current security challenges, the PDP however called on Nigerians and all lovers of democracy to be vigilant and close ranks to ensure that the enemies of the nation do not have their way.

Insisting that the indivisibility of the nation is non-negotiable, the PDP restated its commitment to the unity and corporate existence of the nation and urged Nigerians to ensure that they expressed their resolve to live together as one people by voting en-masse for the PDP in the 2015 general elections.

Signed:
Olisa Metuh

National Publicity Secretary