The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mocked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the conduct of its March 26 National Convention.
The exercise produced Abdullahi Adamu as the party’s national chairman.
Against its leadership’s promise to conduct a rancour-free convention, the much anticipated event held at the Eagle Square in Abuja did not go as planned, given the reluctance of many aspirants to go along with the APC Governors choices in the “Unity List.”
The exercise was arguably dented with loud opposition from some of the aspirants who felt cheated by the party’s choice of leadership.
The PDP described the ruling party’s event as “celebration of illegality, corruption and arrogance in failure” which may further deep Nigeria into more economic and social hardship in the coming years.
“It is clear that with the combination of the corrupt, deceitful and rudderless Buhari-led APC government and the illegitimate Abdullahi Adamu-led party leadership, corruption, economic hardship and rudderlessness in the APC government will worsen in our country in the remaining one year of the APC in government.
“The composition of the APC national leadership is a clear confirmation that President Buhari has never been committed to the fight against corruption as well as his willingness to further open our national vaults to ravenous treasury looters in the APC,” the PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The opposition party challenged members of the ruling APC to encourage the newly elected chairman to come clean on his alleged corruption charges committed during his tenure as governor.
Mr Adamu was charged to court by the EFCC with 19 other state officials on 149 counts of corruption. He was accused of embezzling N15 billion.
The Senator was later discharged some years back.
“Our Party has only pity for Sen. Adamu and does not intend to confer him an undue relevance with a response. Sen. Adamu should however be conscious of the fact that time does not run against the State in criminal matters. He should therefore not have any illusion that being an APC Chairman will avail him a perpetual cover.
“Moreover, it was appalling to see APC leaders come out one after the other at their national jamboree to spew out lies and false performance claims on the economy, infrastructure and security even in the face of biting economic hardship, high cost of living, excruciating fuel emergency, lingering crisis in the education sector and escalated insecurity that was happening real time and simultaneously when the ridiculous claims of achievement were being made,” the party reacted.
Before the APC national convention, the PDP had asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the planned exercise unconstitutional and illegal.