The ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) says Nigeria is becoming a one-party state as a result of the
irresponsibility of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement issued on Sunday,
Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC national publicity secretary, said the PDP has become a
joke because it failed to act as the main opposition party.
He said the ruling party
recognises the relevance of intellectual interrogation of government policies,
which the PDP has failed to offer.
“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, Peoples
Democratic Party has become a joke, irresponsible and rudderless,” the
statement read.
“Even as the governing party, we
recognise the importance of rigorous and intelligent interrogation of our
policies and programmes by the opposition.”
Issa-Onilu said opposition
parties must engage government policies at an intellectual level for democracy
to thrive.
“There is 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,” he said.
Reacting to the statement, Kola
Ologbodiyan, PDP national publicity secretary, described the claim by the APC
as “totally unacceptable”.
Speaking at a press conference in
Abuja on Sunday, he said the PDP is relating with the Nigerian people, adding
that it is working to ensure that democracy is well practiced across the
country.
“It is strange and totally
unacceptable, that the APC or the Buhari Presidency within its wishes and
thinking claimed 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 had
succeeded in reducing us to a nation of cowards,” he said.
“The PDP does not accommodate
certificate forgers; our party is relating directly with Nigerian people and we
are working assiduously to make sure that the democratic tenets of our nation
is not only enshrined, but seen to be practiced.”
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