The All Progressives Congress (APC) has flayed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for opposing the appointment of a presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie as an INEC commsioner.
Recall that the PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said President Muhammadu Buhari violated constitutional provision with the appointment.
In a counter statement by the APC signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena on Friday, the party said has been subjected to “rash, subjective, misplaced and selective criticism by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some interest groups”.
The party said “perhaps the PDP needs to be reminded that one of its card-carrying members, Dr Johnson Alalibo is the current Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC)”.
According to the party, “Alalibo who was also a former Deputy Whip in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly has been an electoral asset to the PDP but that is an issue to be addressed another day.”
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APC urged “the patriotic 9th Senate to stick with the facts and issues by ignoring the PDP’s grandstanding, cheap blackmail, baseless and subjective allegations of partisanship it is sponsoring against Ms Onochie. For the PDP, Ms Onochie’s capacity and effectiveness as a public servant and senior social media professional amount to partisanship.
“Since public service now equates ‘partisanship’ we invite the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to equally fault appointment of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the current INEC Chairman who was the immediate-past Executive Secretary of the government’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), as well as the earlier, stated Dr Johnson Alalibo.
“We equally invite the PDP to query the ‘unquestionable integrity’ of brazen PDP apologists such as Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC; Mike Igini, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Akwa Ibom State, among others.
“We challenge the PDP to point to any of its defunct 16-year administrations that defended and guaranteed the Executive arm of government’s non-interference in INEC’s operation and the true independence of the electoral commission as President Buhari’s government has done”.