2000 days after, APC, PDP trade blames over Chibok girls abduction

…Buhari’s reaction to Dapchi kidnapping act of responsive govt – APC

…Allegations misdirected, attempt to cover corrupt cases – PDP

Two thousand days after the kidnapping of 274 school girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State,the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend were at each other’s throat shifting blame over the unfortunate incident.

Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had set the tone for the disagreement by accusing former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of not being proactive to avail the country the offer of assistance by Britain in rescuing the girls.

Cameron, in a memoir, titled, ‘For the Record,’ had said that the British troop spotted the location of the girls and had offered to help in rescuing them but there was no political will on the part of PDP government led by President Jonathan.

Jonathan, in an attempt to absolve himself of culpability, denied ever turning down assistance from the western world, rather, the former president said his government sought assistance and did his best.

“It is quite sad that Mr. Cameron would say this because nothing of such ever occurred. As President of Nigeria, I not only wrote letters to then Prime Minister David Cameron, I also wrote to the then US President, Barrack Obama, and the then French President, François Hollande, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appealing to them for help in rescuing the Chibok Girls.”

“How could I write to appeal for help and then reject the very thing I appealed for?”

“I also authorised the secret deployment of troops from the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel as a result of the Chibok incident, so how Mr. Cameron could say this with a straight face beats me.”

“In his book, Mr. Cameron failed to mention that I wrote him requesting his help on Chibok. Why did he suppress that information? I remind him that copies of that letter exist at the State Houses in Nigeria and London.

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He never called me on the phone to offer any help. On the contrary, I am the one that reached out to him”, said Jonathan while reacting to the allegation.

In a swift reaction to Jonathan’s defence, the APC insisted that he need not bother replying Cameron’s allegations, talk less denying it.

The APC in a statement said “Nigerians already know the story of Jonathan’s habitual negligence to matters of state. The Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction and his “sleeping behind the wheel” is not a story to deny as it is already part of our national history.

We may disagree on a number of issues in Nigeria, but there is a national consensus on the fact that PDP elevated corruption to a national culture.

“Denying or arguing against the truth is not going to change anything at this stage. The stories of outlandish corrupt practices under the PDP are still unraveling.

“What is important now is Jonathan explaining to the families of the abducted schoolgirls why as president, he did nothing for two weeks after the Chibok abductions and still refuses to take responsibility for the tragedy up till now — except he continues to blame the Chibok abductions and other failings of his administration on the so-called grand conspiracy against him as he laboriously tries to state in his response to Cameron”.

National publicity secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- – Onilu, in the statement at the weekend, said the Buhari’s administration’s reactions and actions after the similar and unfortunate Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping is a pointer to how a responsive government should act.

“That Jonathan government was corrupt was actually half of the story. The full story is that corruption hallmarked the successive 16 years administrations under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It is shameful that anyone is even defending it. Corruption is PDP’s political ideology. This fact is already cast in stone. Nigerians do not need Cameron or anyone else to tell us how corrupt and ineffectual the PDP era was.

“As a consequence, Nigerians voted out the PDP administration in 2015 and elected the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to clear the mess the 16-year PDP administration left the country. Our resolve to do just that is unshaken”, added the APC.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the ruling party’s virtupiration on Jonathan as misdirected but best suits Buhari.

The party said the distortions and groundless attack on President Jonathan is a desperate tactic by the APC and the Buhari Presidency to divert public attention from the recent shocking corruption and fraud revelations in which close relatives and confidants of Mr. President are mentioned.

In a statement on Sunday, the PDP said it was aware of how the Presidency has been in a frenzy to suppress investigations and deflect public enquiries from the arrest of President Buhari’s known confidant deported from the United Kingdom for alleged international passport scam and money laundering, as it knows that an inquest will further expose the huge rot in the Buhari Presidency.

“Our party has equally been made aware of how the APC and the Buhari Presidency have been desperate to divert public attention from the administration’s obnoxious decision to further oppress Nigerians by reintroducing tollgates on our highway, increasing Value Added Tax (VAT), electricity bill and other tariffs as well as their despicable plot to sack government workers.

“The PDP charges the APC and the Buhari Presidency to perish the idea of thinking that this unnecessary distortions on the Jonathan administration would bury the demand for an inquest into the Danu racket through which billions of naira meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians are allegedly being diverted to private purses.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note how the APC had remained silent since revelations that its key leaders and the cabal at the Presidency are involved in the stealing of over N14 trillion meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians.

“Our party further challenges the APC and the Buhari Presidency to speak out on the alleged diversion of the N500bn meant for the Social Investment Programme among other humongous fraud directly perpetrated under the Buhari Presidency.

“Furthermore, in trying to tar the PDP, the APC forgets that it is already common knowledge that all the bad eggs that brought a bad name to the PDP have since left our repositioned party to the APC where their National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who also has a huge corruption allegation on his neck, admitted that the party is a haven for corrupt persons.

“Moreover, the fact that President Buhari can only surround himself with persons openly indicted for corruption, as ministers and advisers, speaks volume of the administration’s posturing on corruption”, alleged the party in the statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The party charged the APC not to think that it can cover its mess by trying to make unfounded allegations against President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP.