PDP wants to retain power by hook or crook – Buhari

Maj-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari

A former Head of State and National Leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said Nigeria is in the grip of bad government.

According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party wants to retain power by hook or crook.

Buhari, who was the 2011 presidential candidate for the CPC , spoke in Abuja on Monday at  an  interactive session  with  the party’s  elected representatives.

He said the events of the last 13 years had shown that the PDP did not possess the capacity to lead  the country.

Because of this, he said, it was obvious that the PDP  was not in the position to move the country forward and should therefore be booted out of power  in 2015.

The PDP, however, asked Nigerians not to take Buhari for his words, adding that the “serial presidential aspirants has lost focus and is not in tune with the reality in the country”.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh,  in a telephone interview with our correspondent,  said that  Buhari had yet to recover from his numerous rejections at the poll by Nigerians.

Buhari, however, said the PDP had never won election in the country.

He said while other political parties were merging and planning alliance, the PDP was busy aligning with the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and the judiciary in order to remain in power.

The former Head of State  said, “A brief glance at the political history of Nigeria confirms that to hold power at the centre, you need a broad coalition, alliance, merger or whatever you may like to call it.

“Today’s situation is no different. The country is in the grip of a bad government whose only purpose is to retain power by hook or by crook – preferably by crook.

“PDP does not need merger or alliance – they are already merged and are in alliance with the  Police, INEC, and  the  Judiciary with the NNPC and pension funds.

“The country is tired of PDP; we are tired of oppression; we are tired of corruption; we are tired of insecurity and we are tired, full stop!”

Buhari urged the  elected representatives to know that the only way to send the PDP packing from Aso Rock  was through the merger which the CPC   is pursuing with two other opposition political parties.

Apart from the CPC, the other two political parties in the merger are the Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Nigeria Peoples Party.

The Katsina State-born general called on those in attendance at the event to regard themselves as  part  of the great movements  that would come together to unseat the PDP.

“I believe merger is the only way to prevent continuation of this bad governance. The political class is at one that the only way to stabilise the nation is for the opposition to merge and face the ruling party,” he added.

Buhari  said while elected members of the CPC  could hold their heads high that they were truly elected,  the same could not be said of their PDP counterparts.

According to him, “You were actually elected. You did not use police to intimidate voters; you did not use INEC staff to inflate your votes. You won in spite of all attempts by government to rig you out. How many in the PDP can say that? Very, very few.

“You can, therefore, hold your heads high and regard  yourselves as genuine representatives of your constituencies.You are true sons of democracy; your positions are   even more important than  those of  party officials and party leaders because you are the face of  the CPC.”

He also called on the people to work within the 1999 Constitution to effect the change in the leadership of the country.

Metuh, however, said Buhari was still day-dreaming, adding that his language did not portray him as someone desirous to lead the country.

He said Buhari should know that Nigerians were tired of “people who instigate; people who cause violence with their words and people who are in the habit of causing tension when they speak.”

The CPC national leader, he said, had not come to terms with the reality that Nigerians would not tolerate someone who  would continue to fight as a loser of election till eternity.

He said, “It is un-presidential for someone to be saying a rival political party has merged with state institutions like INEC, Police and the judiciary.

“That statement does not befit a man who says he wants to lead the country. We will want to add that such a comment is a pepper soup discussion that does not suit someone of Buhari’s status.

 “We understand his plight. He is a serial loser and does not know that Nigerians are tired of him as everlasting presidential aspirant.”

PUNCH