The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated Caretaker Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mai Mala Buni for allegedly politicising insecurity, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
The party’s position came in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, two day after U.S. special forces rescued an American abducted in Niger Republic and brought to Northern Nigeria.
Recall that the APC had accused the PDP of seeking to gain political capital from national security issues after the opposition party mocked the ruling party over alleged invasion of Nigerian territorial integrity by “foreign militaries”.
In its reaction, the PDP slammed the party for “politicising the failure of the Buhari Presidency to protect our territorial integrity leading to an embarrassing takeover of our soil by foreign militaries”.
According to PDP, “such a primitive disposition further confirms the APC as an unreliable party that neither cares about its promises to Nigerians nor worry about the safety and well-being of our citizens”.
The statement further read, “Nigerians can recall how the APC deployed such unpatriotic penchant to politicise security issues to frustrate the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls in 2014, for partisan gains.
“It is indeed unpardonable that the APC, which, during the 2015 election campaign, promised to promptly end insurgency, upon which it was handed the rein of power, is now shamelessly seeking to divert public attention from the worsened banditry, insurgency and unbridled ravaging of our citizens under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch.
“Is it not the worst form of leadership failure that President Buhari, a general, who promised to lead from the front in the fight against insurgency, had rather taken a back seat in the comfort and luxury of Aso Presidential villa, leaving Nigerians to the mercy of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and to languish in detention camps in various parts of the country?
“It is clear that PDP’s statement on the rescue operation on our soil by the United States as well as similar earlier operation performed by the Chad, was a patriotic call in the overall national interest.
“If anything, the silence by the Buhari Presidency on this sticking embarrassment tends to indicate its acceptance of PDP’s position that it can neither secure the territorial integrity of our nation nor arrest the wave of insecurity ravaging our country.
“Nigerians had therefore expected that instead of picking fights with well-meaning citizens, including the PDP, the APC should have taken responsibility for the failures of the Buhari Presidency and urge Mr. President to learn from Presidents Idris Derby of Chad and US Donald Trump on how to protect and guarantee the safety of Nigerian citizens.
“The APC should join other patriotic Nigerians in impressing it on President Buhari to stem the tide of insecurity by rejigging his security architecture and replacing his service chiefs with more competent and patriotic hands, rather than deploying an impostor, whose position in the factionalized party is unknown, to further embarrass our country.
“Nevertheless, as a party, the PDP restates our commendation to our young, patriotic and gallant troops who are risking their lives and giving their best to our dear nation despite their challenges on harm’s way.
“We also urge Nigerians to continue to support and pray for our troops and also to be alert to their environments particularly at this trying time.”