PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh

By Chuks Okocha

The coalition of opposition political parties operating on the aegis of the Conference of Nigeria Political parties (CNPP) has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to commence its gradual disengagement from power, instead of dismissing the ongoing merger talks between progressive forces in the country.

Reacting to the statement by the PDP dismissing the alliances of the opposition political parties, the coalition said the party should in its own interest begin to pack from the Presidential Villa come 2015 elections.

PDP in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, had said, “We hear of alliances and mergers every day. That is not new. Let us wait for 2015. Do you think Nigerians are fools? Do you think that Nigerians do not take notice of the character and tendency of individuals and political parties?

“The PDP is the only party that is committed to the continued existence of Nigeria and the welfare of its people. At the appropriate time, they will decide whether to entrust their great nation to the hands of regionalists, doomsday prophets and pro-anarchists or to the safe hands of the PDP. Ounce of common sense will prefer the latter”, Olisa Metuh said.

According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, “The move for a granite coalition between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and other progressive forces is coming at the right time and it’s not a fluke; for the PDP had failed woefully to meet the high expectations of Nigerians to either provide welfare nor guarantee the security of our people 13 years down the line”

The statement from the CNPP asked, “Of what use is a political party, in this instance the PDP, when it cannot fulfil the social contract between the leaders and the led?”

The spokesman of the coalition of opposition parties said, “it is regrettable in the prevailing circumstance that the PDP has not shown any indices, the capacity, the diligence and the transparency to provide public good and safety net to the greatest number of Nigerians, in spite of unprecedented oil, gas and other abundant natural resources; therefore Nigerians have no option but to vote PDP out of power come 2015 general elections.

“We are therefore surprised that the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh is still hanging hope on propaganda and tissues of lie that the PDP has shown enormous capacity and has achieved significant manifest benefits in national growth, asking, “ Which national growth? Is it of a country where more 70 per cent of her population is living below poverty line in 2012, as against 40 per cent in 1999?”

The coalition of opposition parties said the PDP should come down from the high horse and face the realities of the poverty, hopelessness and despair in the land as a result of failed governance profile, “instead of relying on propaganda-infested International Monetary Fund kind of growth spewed by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,” it said.

Accordingly, the statement from CNPP said, “in modern liberal democracy, elections are referendum on the incumbent; hence the PDP leadership and their affiliates should start packing their luggage for eviction electoral outcome, as Nigeria cannot drown because of PDP’s squander mania, cluelessness and ineptitude”.