Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
Nwaka: Abia won’t go back to inglorious past
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) attack on its National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was “an exercise full of mischief and an apparent wrong interpretation of palpable ignorance of collective responsibility of all Nigerians towards a secured nation.”

This is coming on the heels of a vow by Abia State chapter of the party yesterday, that it would do everything possible to prevent the state from “going back to the inglorious past” when it was regarded as a pariah state.
PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said it was unfortunate that an honest disposition of its National Chairman was mischievously interpreted as “lack of capacity” by the ACN.

The party added that it was not surprised that the unassuming and honest comment made by Tukur had provided sweet nectar for the mouth of mischief to feed on.
This, the party stressed, was another weak attempt by the ACN to detract it from the merit of the efforts of the PDP-led Federal Government in returning the nation to the path of greatness.

“In spite of this, we shall remain steadfast in our humble approach to leadership. The PDP is an organic institution which can err, accept responsibilities while remaining focused on lasting solution. We are not a self-righteous political party like the ACN which claim to be light but radiate darkness.
“All over the world, the increasing incidence of global insecurity is the responsibility of the authorities that be as well as that of the individual citizenry. Surmounting the challenge is the function of the unity of the efforts of all, political divide notwithstanding.

“We are sure that no objective assessment by any Nigerian will relegate the untiring commitment of the PDP led Federal Government in stemming the tide of insecurity in the country. Our government has been pursuing the option of dialogue. It is also pursuing that of minimal force, as the characters in the insurgency are also Nigerians,” PDP said.

The statement further said the ACN accusation of the party having a “clueless leadership” had no basis either in empirical facts or in any stretch of imagination.
“Despite the mega-phonic lies of the ACN, power generation has tangibly improved across the cities of Nigeria. Like never before, massive construction and re-construction are on-going in most of the federal roads in the country. The efficiency with which the Federal Government tackled the recent flooding in parts of the country is not a signature tune of a clueless leadership,” the party noted.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Abia State chapter of the PDP, Senator Emma Nwaka, while fielding questions from journalists at a press conference in Umuahia, said the PDP-led government in the state has moved the state from being confrontational and antagonistic to the federal authorities as was the case in the last administration.
He said it was to maintain the new face of Abia that the former governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, was being denied the opportunity of returning to the party because he represents the dark past of the state when it was denied federal presence.

According to him, Abia has turned full circle from its past, noting that apart from the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, working in partnership the Federal Government, all the key players in the state politics that used to work at cross purposes are now united. “Things are working smoothly in Abia; everything is calm. This is possible because of the acceptability of the leadership,” Nwaka said.
He explained that the party was desirous of sustaining the peace in the party, adding that he would make sure the door was firmly shut against Kalu, who he claimed, would upset the apple cart once he was re-admitted.

“When you’re coming into a house and the people say they don’t want you, you should go back and think. The issue of integrity is very important,” he said, adding that the PDP in the state was not crying wolf when there is none.
The PDP state chairman pointed out that the party stakeholders from Abia who went to Abuja to protest against the planned return of Kalu had had personal experiences with the former governor and knew that “when you say one thing in the morning and do another thing in the evening, then something is wrong.”

On whether DR Kalu has actually made any move to return to PDP, Nwaka sais: “Strong intelligence report has revealed to them that the founder of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) had approached the national secretariat of PDP to get the door opened for him from above.
“We know he (Kalu) has been making frantic efforts to come back. We know so much about his past and that is why we’re taking these steps (to stop him).”
Tags: Politics, Nigeria, Featured, PDP, ACN, Comments, Tukur

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