By Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described the effort by the APC to justify President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of the nation’s troops, in the wake of the killing of over 100 soldiers by insurgents last week in Borno state as abhorrent, reprehensible and a slap on the sensibility of Nigerians.
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus and President Muhammadu Buhari
The PDP said by its stand, the APC, as a party, has fully demonstrated that it is an organisation that attaches no value to the lives of our soldiers or other Nigerians, but more interested in seeing funeral ceremonies and gloating over the graves of its victims.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party berated the APC for allegedly trying to twist information in the public domain concerning the senseless massacre of the soldiers.
The statement read in part: “Why would the APC attempt to wave off revelations, which are already in the public domain, that officials of the Presidency are diverting funds meant for military equipment and welfare of our soldiers to finance Mr. president’s re-election campaign?
“If the APC were not jittery over revelations that it is a core beneficiary of this evil racket, why is it rushing to defend the Minister of Defence on findings that he diverted military funds to produce campaign materials for the APC including an electronic momento, with APC logo boldly inscribed on them?
“We challenge the APC to explain to Nigerians why it took President Buhari, as Commander-in-Chief, a whole week to express ‘shock’ over the killing of over 100 of our soldiers?
“What has the APC to say to the fact that instead of being at the forefront of investigations, our Minister of Defence was busy using military funds to produce campaign souvenirs for President Buhari and the APC?
“It is therefore an unpardonable assault on the sensibility of Nigerians for the APC to, in anyway, attempt to justify President Buhari’s negligence and inaction toward the welfare of our soldiers as well as the diversion of military fund for Mr. President re-election campaign at the expense of the lives of Nigerians.
“If the APC is not complicit in this heinous crime against our nation, we challenge it to join the PDP in demanding for a National Assembly inquest into the killing and the handling of anti-insurgency funds under President Buhari, instead of this resort to wicked hypocritical posturing.”