The Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress on Sunday sharply disagreed on the clamour by Nigerians for the restructuring of the country.
While the PDP expressed its support for restructuring, the APC accused the former ruling party of stealing its idea.
The PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, reacted to an earlier statement credited to the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in which the former minister of sports said that the PDP was not interested in restructuring.
Adeyeye said the sudden interest of the APC in restructuring was meant to hoodwink Nigerians ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Adeyeye said, “This sudden resurrection of the ruling party’s interest in ‘restructuring’ after several months of denial by the Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; some governors elected on the platform of the party and other senior party officials that the APC did not promise restructuring in its manifesto and during the campaigns in 2015 is the latest in a series of deceitful ploys designed and being implemented by the party to hoodwink Nigerians ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“It is imperative to inform Nigerians that our party is not against the restructuring of the system of governance in the country in a manner that places Nigeria firmly on the path of growth, development and prosperity.
“Indeed, our party’s commitment to constantly seeking solutions to the challenges confronting the nation caused us to amend our party’s constitution to include the equitable devolution of power for greater functionality, national integration and rapid economic and social reconstruction, amongst other things.”
Adeyeye added that it was the PDP’s commitment to restructuring the system of socio-political governance in Nigeria that made the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to convoke a national conference in 2014 to recommend amendments to the Nigerian Constitution.
“It is imperative to point out that the APC was the only political party which refused to attend the National Conference in 2014. It is also imperative to point out that the APC’s refusal to participate in the conference was predicated on a narrow and selfish interest.”
Adeyeye warned Nigerians not to take the APC for its word, insisting that the party was built and was being sustained by propaganda.
But in its reaction, the APC asked Nigerians to ignore the PDP, wondering why the former ruling party did not do anything about restructuring in 16 years it was in power.
The spokesperson for the party, Abdullahi, described the PDP as a joker.
He said, “The PDP was in power for 16 years and they didn’t do anything on it. Why the sudden change of mind now? It must be a joke.
“The report of the 2014 constitutional conference was submitted to the then Federal Government and nothing was done on it for more than a year.
“The conference was set up when election was approaching, just to hoodwink the people of the South-West to support the party. Now, they know that Nigerians are interested in restructuring and they are now claiming to believe in restructuring. Where were they for 16 years when the party was in power?”
He added, “We are the ones who have restructuring in our manifesto and we are the ones who have a committee working on it. They should mention one thing they have done to show that they believe in it.”
