The Peoles Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the mandate which was given to the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, which has been stolen, will be restored to them. PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, speaking in Abuja said that “It is strange and unacceptable that the APC and the Buhari Presidency would, within their whimsical thinking, claim that Nigeria will become a one-party state. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had lamented that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its bite as the opposition, failed to provide constructive criticism to the ruling party, therefore, making the nation to tilt towards a one party state. Rather than playing vibrant opposition role, the APC lambasted the PDP for playing cheap and irrelevant politics with critical national issues.
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu in a statement said the party can no longer continue to fold its hands and watch the PDP degenerate into a rudderless and spineless opposition.
The APC said that “Nigeria deserves a strong, vibrant opposition to play its conventional role in the polity to deepen democracy. Sadly, Nigeria is becoming a one-party state. As a party that believes in democracy and progressive politics, we cannot pretend any longer. “Democracy cannot be said to be fully operational in a situation where the supposed main opposition party, the PDP has become a joke, irresponsible and rudderless.
“Even as the governing party, we recognize the importance of rigorous and intelligent interrogation of our policies and programmes by the opposition. “There are a lot to gain by our democracy and our country in an atmosphere of robust engagement by responsible and patriotic opposition. “The political system we practice has important roles for the political parties outside of power. The system envisaged that such parties would provide alternative viewpoints and put the governing party on its toes.
“Instead, the PDP and their minions have in the name of opposition continued to distract the government and Nigerians with their post-election delusions, salacious fictions, conjured rifts in government circles and of course, the lowest of it all, the pathetic and senseless Jubril of Sudan malicious tale, among other fake news. Tragic! “It is sad that PDP has finally proved incapable of filling this important democratic space.
The other mushroom parties are even worse. Some of the smaller parties are filled with incurable charlatans issuing infantile weekly press statements on behalf of the PDP. Our democracy deserves better.” The APC further expressed displeasure with the style of opposition by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), which it said could have filled the vacuum left by the PDP by engaging the APC administration in useful debates over governance.
Rather, it said the CUPP has become a comedy theatre group and frontline PDP minion. “CUPP has the unenviable mandate to try to intimidate and blackmail important state institutions such as INEC, the judiciary, and security agencies on behalf of PDP with the hope of gaining political advantage having been rejected by the majority of the voters. “As the current administration tackles our national challenges and at a period we all should focus on issues of nation building, the best PDP and its acolytes are offering is a distraction. “While the PDP wallows in its obscene conducts, Nigeria under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration will continue to consolidate on its status as Africa’s largest economy,” said the APC.
The APC insisted that with the continued support of well-meaning Nigerians, the administration will do more for the shared prosperity, peace and progress of the nation. Read Also: Kwara seeks FG’s intervention to tackle ecological problem But, reacting to the APC claim, the PDP described the claims as baseless, lies and unacceptable. Briefing the press, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the opposition party remains the rallying point and consensus of political opposition in Nigeria. He said the party has become the centre of speaking for Nigerians and has been relating directly with the generality of the people, adding that “our party has been working assiduously to see that the country is purged of political despots. The PDP today has remained the bastion of democracy. He said the party will not engage in verbal discussion with charlatans in the Buhari Presidency and persons that have pillaged the country’s patrimony. “The PDP does not contain certificate forgers.
It is not a party of people who are contrivers. “Our political party is relating directly with the Nigerian people and we are working assiduously to make sure that democratic tenets of our nation are not only entrenched, but seen to be entrenched in our nation. “We do not have space to respond to the gimmicks of former democrats who went around the nation and brought in a despot into a democratic order, neither do we have space to engage in verbal discussion with characters that are known to be pillaging and stealing directly from the patrimony of our nation. “As such, we are not going to respond to the innuendos such characters are bandying. The PDP remains the bastion of democracy in our nation. “The PDP is in the Supreme Court to ensure that the mandate which was given to our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and which has been stolen, is restored to us. “The PDP has been carrying out that responsibility,” PDP added: “As far as APC needs to know, our nation has survived dictators. We have succeeded as a people to ensure that those who seek to rule us without our consent do not succeed.
“It is strange and unacceptable that the APC and the Buhari Presidency would, within their whimsical thinking, claim that Nigeria will become a one-party state. “This country is a resilient nation and no individual, no matter how highly placed in the past, has succeeded in reducing us to a nation of cowards. “Even today, it will be unacceptable to Nigerians to be so reduced. So, PDP will continue to play its opposition role and we will play it successfully.”
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
