The Presidency has condemned the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP), for twisting the import of a video showing the Chief of Staff to the
President, Ibrahim Gambari and former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Adams Oshiomhole
A presidential source described the PDP action as ”a
complete waste of time”.
The PDP had in the last few days addressed several press
briefings over the video clip, where the word ‘arrest’ was mentioned and had
imputed many interpretations to it.
However, a Presidency source told State House correspondents
that the opposition party should not have maligned the Chief of Staff to the
President.
He noted that the many efforts so far put into discrediting
Gambari had continued to fail in the face of his solid credibility.
The source was reacting to the recent call by the PDP to the
United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and other international bodies to
place visa restriction on Gambari, Oshiomhole, and other individuals as
punishment for allegedly plotting to truncate democracy and good governance in
Nigeria.
”But despite the Presidency’s clarification and assurances
by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to ensure free and fair poll in the state, the PDP has called on the
international community to deny visas to members of the APC for plotting to
endanger democracy and enthrone bad governance,” the source maintained.
At press conference last week, National Chairman of the PDP,
Uche Secondus, had said: “We wish to also draw the attention of the
international community to this gross abuse of power to undermine the
democratic process by critical staff that should defend it.
”We demand appropriate sanction of the individuals involved
in this anti-democratic act; they should be given visa restrictions to any
democratic countries.”
But the Presidency source said Gambari was only doing his
job of leading the former APC National Chairman to meet with the President and
besides, Oshiomhole had repeated what he said in the video at a press briefing
after meeting with the president.
Oshiomhole, had while briefing State House correspondents,
after meeting with President Buhari, said he came to plead with the President
to ensure security for the upcoming Edo State governorship election, citing
threats of violence by the opposition.
“Lastly is to say that the outgoing governor is talking more
about violence and violence. You must have watched him on Channels Television
where he said he will meet violence with violence and we are saying no, there
will be no violence.
”It will be like celebrating Christmas or going to do a
plebiscite between MoU, which Edo people have now codenamed ‘memorandum of
underdevelopment’ and a governor with a clear simple agenda, which is the
product of his brains.
“So, I shared these with Mr President and I said all we just
need is good security. If APC man commits an offence, arrest him, if a PDP man
commits an offence, arrest him.
”Once it’s not all about sermon; sermon does not change the
heart of the devil. What changes the heart of men is the fear of sanctions.
”Once one person is arrested from APC, another person is
arrested from PDP, if they are found involved in unlawful possession of
firearms and they misuse those firearms and they are arrested and prosecuted,
the message is clear.”
The Presidency source, however, wondered why the PDP had
decided to mudsling with what he described as “an incomplete information”,
saying no one knew how the conversation started or how it ended.
“What PDP is doing is called ‘playing the devil’s card’,
which is all about suggesting ideas into people’s heads, the truth does not
matter in such an atmosphere.
”What I am convinced of is that even the leaders of the PDP
know what they are doing is wicked and unethical, but since it is politics,
they believe anything goes.
“How do you know the ‘arrest’ in the conversation is for PDP
elements? The target in this mudslinging is the Chief of Staff to the
President, but their mistake is that this is not a man for this sort of
politics.
”He’s way above petty politicking. He’s a career diplomat
and hardly interested in this kind of politics, those who know him, know this
much about him”, he said.
It would be recalled that Gambari was appointed Buhari’s
Chief of Staff after the death of Abba Kyari in May.
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