APC Accuses Metuh Of Twisting Facts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the federal government and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of politicising and trivialising its failures in providing security by twisting facts.

This came as a former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Deputy National Secretary of the APC, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, at the weekend, said the ruling PDP has 11 months notice to quit the Aso Villa and vacate  public offices across the federation.

The party, in a response to a statement from the PDP spokesman, Mr. Olisa Metuh, accusing the opposition of complicity in the Boko Haram insurgence in some parts of the North, said the allegation was "a poor and vain effort to distract attention from governance deficits."

The statement signed by Muyiwa Adekeye, accused Metuh of distorting facts.

"His tool is to distort words from leading opposition politicians, and then misname his resulting concoction as evidence."

He said Metuh's statement that the effort was aimed at smearing someone at odds with the government with allegations of links to terror.

His words: "The PDP has made a habit of wild statements and irresponsible conjecture. This posture reflects the strong synergy between that party and its government whose record is a long litany of incompetence, insensitivity, impunity and needless deaths."

Adekete, described terror and abetting it as a crime, noting that "no competent government will use evidence of terror links only for purposes of propaganda. But what do we see from the PDP? A pathetic effort to criminalise the speech of its opponents, and somehow transform that into "evidence."

"Why is this 'evidence' not being tested in a competent court of law? Nigerians will not be fooled by specious arguments, not least from people mired in the PDP's medieval ethos that mistake presence in or closeness to a government with patriotism," he said.

According to him, media commentaries are already showing concerns about whether terror persists because the government sees political advantage in it.

"With schools, towns and army barracks still being attacked in the North-east, it is clear that our gallant security forces need to be better resourced to secure lives and property. That solemn duty is what should be exercised by a government worthy of the name. But this current regime is so seized by electoral calculations that it neglects its basic duties.’

Adekeye mainatined that "Mallam Nasir El Rufai who was alleged to have links with the dreaded Islamic terror group would continue to discharge his patriotic duty of speaking out against incompetence and electoral thuggery.

"He wishes to remind Metuh and his likes that political banter is no justification for libel."

The APC cautioned the PDP to be wary of twisting speech, saying it is "a terrain where it is vulnerable.

"After the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja, President Jonathan was engulfed in the unedifying spectacle of trying to absolve the organisation that had claimed responsibility for it.

"When the United Nations building suffered a terrorist outrage, the president visited the scene to assure Nigerians that it is their turn to experience some of that global scourge.

"Weeks after a presidential aide was caught employing the ruse of a pseudonym to disseminate poison, mum has been the response of the government," he listed.

Meanwhile, el-Rufai, who spoke in Kaduna during the state’s APC stakeholders' meeting in preparation for the party'sm forthcoming congresses, added that the APC was a government in the waiting, saying that, "even people in power now know that they have 11 months notice to pack their bags, because we are taking over.

The former FCT minister who rumour had been circulating to be eyeing the governorship of Kaduna State, however described his rumoured aspiration as premature, adding that at appropriate time, the party members in the state would elect their candidates for respective offices.

According to him, "my priority as the Deputy National Secretary is to ensure that the APC is a very strong party in Kaduna State and other parts of the country. And the question of contesting for office will be determined by the party at appropriate time."

Also speaking at the occasion, Senator Sani Saleh, an APC senator representing Kaduna central senatorial district, said there was no crisis in the  APC in the state as speculated, saying the little challenges the party had, bordered on implementation of national guidelines.

He however said the party was ready to wrest power from the  ruling PDP come 2015.