From Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje has been described as “an unwavering and committed democrat working tirelessly to improve the nation.”
Chief Oliver Okpala, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who gave this description
in Abuja on Wednesday said that the national chairman believes in practicing ideal democratic principles and remains unshakable in his dedication to Nigeria as a nation.
Chief Okpala was reacting to recent criticism by opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties over the remark credited to Dr. Ganduje at an APC stakeholder’s meeting in Ondo state where he allegedly said that the APC will win two more states after Ondo.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba had in a statement condemned the remarks and allegedly portrayed Dr. Ganduje as an undemocratic person and also claimed that the APC national chairman does not believe in the tenets of democracy and the rule of law.
Reacting to the PDP statement however, Chief Okpala wondered how people who have never occupied elective positions of honour can describe a man who has twice, contested and won the governorship of Kano State through democratic processes, as not being a true democrat.
He maintained that even before the present democratic dispensation, Dr. Ganduje contested and won important positions in reputable political organisations like the defunct National Party of Nigeria, (NPN).
The Senior Special Assistant described the PDP statement as “the ranting of an organisation sunk in the political ocean of misery.”
He described the PDP was a party in crisis that cannot put its house in order pointing out that the PDP attack on Ganduje was a clear show of ignorance and deep inadequacy of language.
“It is shameful that Ologunagba and other PDP chieftains are angling for Ganduje’s jugular over a simple comment portraying the desire of the APC to win and bring the South West states into its fold. What is wrong with that?
“Ologunagba and his party are only crying because of the imminent defeat facing them in Ondo just like they were roundly beaten in Edo.
“It is important to note that the word capture allegedly used by Ganduje is not negative on its own, but the PDP attack dogs have added “Forcefully” to it in an attempt to mislead the public.
“Ganduje never used the word forcefully and this kind of mischief is what the misguided PDP hawks are known for.
“Nigerians have not forgotten how the PDP, during its days in power threw caution to the wind and sought to crush all opposition and destroy the nation’s democracy right from 1999 till 2015 when they were roundly rejected by Nigerians.
“It was in those PDP days that they conceptualized and practiced “DO – OR DIE” politics.
“We did not only hear it, we saw it live, with brazen effrontery. APC can never subscribe to that practice,” the statement concluded.
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