*Buhari with Kerry (US Secretary of State)
Press Conference By The National
Publicity Secretary Of The PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, Today, Sunday, July 26, 2015
At The PDP National Secretariat, Abuja
Gentlemen of the press, we have once again called you up to address a
number of very important issues constituting a threat to our democracy, the
general health of our nation and our welfare as citizens under the All
Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
Last Thursday, our dear President, President Muhammadu Buhari returned
from his much-publicised visit to the United States of America
As a responsible political party, committed to peace and the stability
of our dear nation, the PDP restrained itself from embarrassing the President
by not raising, while he was in the States, issues of harassment of citizens,
interferences in the activities of the National Assembly and the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), total disregard for tenets of democracy,
resort to sole administratorship as well as other violations which have become
the order of the day in Nigeria since the inauguration of his administration.
Rather, we remained calm, while hoping and praying that the visit would
afford our President and his party leaders reasonable tutorials on the respect
and application of the tenets of democracy and fundamental rights of citizens
under the rule of law.
This is in addition to the fact that as patriotic citizens, we looked
forward for gains especially given our restated support for any action or
policy by the Federal Government aimed at stamping out corruption, ending
insurgency and promoting economic growth, which formed parts of the publicised
agenda for the visit.
However, now that the visit has come and gone, our fear is that nothing
whatsoever has been learnt or gained. What we continue to receive as a nation
have been embarrassing disagreements, accusations and counter accusations,
blames and denials on very important issues due to lack of tact and skill in
the management of state matters by the APC-led administration.
*Metuh
It is disheartening that rather than secure any sort of tangible gain
for the fight against terrorism, which has lost steam under the APC watch, with
insurgents, who were pushed to the verge of surrender by the Goodluck Jonathan
administration, now surging back and spreading into the country, we get nothing
but exchanges and disagreements between the Presidency and their American
hosts. This is not only embarrassing but also worrisome indication of crass
ineptitude in the handling of international affairs on the part of the present
administration.
We urge the APC-led administration to settle down, put its acts together
and get determined, without further excuse, to face the fight against
insurgency with every sense of seriousness especially given President Buhari’s
promise in his April 2, 2015 CNN interview to end the scourge two months after
his inauguration, which is by the end of this month.
Also, while Nigerians awaited for reassuring words to promote our
democracy and unity as a nation, they were shocked as they watched President
Buhari unfold to the world his decision to administer the country on the basis
of the voting pattern in the last general elections rather than on equity as
stipulated by the constitution and his oaths of office as the President of
Nigeria.
President Buhari told a stunned audience in the US
Never in the history of our nation has a president made such a divisive
and vindictive declaration. Never in the history of Nigeria
