Onochie: APC is behind violations, abuses in Nigeria, PDP alleges

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to justify President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of his aide and frontline APC member, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, as national commissioner of INEC, has confirmed that the APC is the brain behind the series of constitutional violations, abuse of human rights and impunity bedeviling the nation in the last five years.
The party said this in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.
The PDP said such provocative, arrogant and disdainful display of impunity by the APC and its administration, particularly in the violation of rules and crass abuse of apparatus of power, like the Police, is responsible for the growing tension, remonstration and social restiveness currently threatening our national cohesion.
According to the statement, “Our party and indeed, Nigerians were shocked that the APC deployed an impostor, as spokesperson, to issue a statement to justify the brazen violation of paragraph 14 of the 3rd Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which forbids a person involved in partisan politics to hold office as a member of INEC.
“After a critical analysis of the statement and other offensive comments by the APC in support of constitutional violations and abuse of rights, no one is left in doubt that the APC, as a party, is bent on triggering crisis and destroying the unity of our dear nation, seeing that it has no place in the future of Nigeria.
“It is distressing that while our party, known for our strict adherence to rule of law and an overwhelming majority of Nigerians, including members of the National Assembly and state governors have rejected the offensive nomination and urged President Buhari to send a replacement to the Senate, the APC is rather seeking to set up Mr. President and further pitch him against already agitated Nigerians and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“Our party finds it ludicrous that the APC in its wicked and anti-people enterprise, sought to divert attention from its atrocities by laying a false claim that some INEC members, including Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had links with the PDP.
“Such poorly scripted piece of fiction cannot sway Nigerians as they know that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was never a member of the PDP and that no member of the PDP has been appointed a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) while a card-carrying member of our party”, it said.