APC, PDP in war of words over Osinbajo’s visit to Niger

By JOHN ADAMS, Minna

The one day visit by Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo to Niger state has triggered a verbal war between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Professor Osibanjo, it could be recalled, flew into the ancient town of Bida on Saturday as a Special Guest at the turbanning of four illustrious sons of the emirate by the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger state Council of traditional rulers Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.

However the opposition PDP believed that such visit by the number two citizen would have been used to commission one or two projects but because the ruling APC in the state has nothing to show in terms of projects in the last six years decided not to make the visit a low key one.

The PDP in a statement said the ruling APC government in the state did not make a hype of the visit because it had no project executed that the visiting vice president would have commissioned to add glamour to the visit, saying that the APC government has failed the people of the state in all ramifications.

Tanko Beji state chairman of the party in the statement on Saturday also said the APC government was monumental failure, recalling how the Vice President was made to commissioned an uncompleted street road project out of desperation to hide it shame.

“As though that is not enough undoing, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo was not shown any project or land mark achievement by either the Government or the APC legislators to commission in Bida.

According to him, “The PDP promises to bring back the days of projects, development, vision and mission with clear cut articulate policies to reset the state back to its glory from 2023″

But the APC in relation to the PDP accusation of non Performance in a statement by its state Secretary, Mr Ibrahim Aliyu Khaleel said the PDP completely lack the moral right to accused the ruling party non performance, saying that the opposition party has lost touch with reality and is also not aware of protocol.

Khaleel in his defense pointed out the visit of the vice president was ” a private visit” and that the Government of Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Sani Bello was only present to accord the utmost respect to the number two citizen of the country.

According to the APC the administration in the state has many tangible projects executed for the benefits of the ordinary people of the state if the visit of Professor Osibanjo were to be an official state function adding that: “The APC allows the people to speak for it, we don’t play to the gallery as the PDP use to do and now wants us to do”.

Khaleel reminded the PDP that one of the projects that would have been commissioned were the visit a state function was the electrification of Beji town, a contract awarded to a top PDP functionary by the last administration which was not executed after the total contract sum was collected and diverted to private purse.

“The PDP has forgotten so soon that it is the APC government that connected Beji town to the National Electricity grid by executing that project. Even if there is no project to commission the Beji electricity project would have been on the table but like said earlier the APC does not believe in playing to the gallery” the statement said.

Khaleel said the PDP should face its internal crisis instead of ” poking its running nose” into issues that does not concern it.

“Without laboring issues we want the PDP leadership to focus on its internal crisis which has made it impossible for it to conduct election in 8 local governments.

“A party that cannot manage its internal affairs should not poke its running nose into the affairs of another party.

“We therefore advise the PDP to face its mirage of problems including series of criminal cases against it in courts instead of chasing shadows” Khaleel said. (Sunday Sun)