The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has told the All Progressives Congress, APC, national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to perish the thought of his party taking over the governance of Taraba and Delta States in the 2019 general elections.
The party said Oshiomhole should concentrate his energies on saving his APC from imminent collapse rather than dreaming of taking Taraba and Delta states.
But APC, in a swift reaction, said PDP was being terrified by Oshiomhole’s emergence as its chairman.
In a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s spokesman, Sunday, the PDP described the two states as its stronghold, which no party would take from its grip.
The statement reads “Perhaps, Oshiomhole mistook Delta and Taraba states 2019 elections for the APC 2018 national convention where President Muhammadu Buhari bullied and intimidated delegates to foist him as national chairman, without proper election.
“Nigerians know that Delta and Taraba states are major strongholds of the PDP for which we clearly won the 2015 governorship and Presidential elections in the states.
“The PDP, in 2015, enjoyed overwhelming followership which has now tripled in the last three years, signposting our inevitable victory in 2019, particularly due to the sterling performance of governors Ifeanyi Okowa and Darius Ishaku in delivering good governance and development to the people.
“It is an unpardonable assault on the sensibilities of the people of these states for Oshiomhole to think that they will vote for the same APC, which has failed to protect their lives and has continued to play helpless while marauders slaughter their brothers and sisters and ravage their communities.
“We are, however, not unaware of Oshiomhole’s pattern of deploying false assertions, propaganda and instigating confusion, but we assure him that such cannot work in Delta and Taraba states, no matter the machination, as the people are solidly behind the PDP in our quest with majority of Nigerians, to rescue our nation from the clutches of the APC,” the statement read in part.
The party further noted that in saner climes, the APC boss ought to be guest of the anti-corruption agencies by now, arguing that he may have taken up on his new assignment to save himself from trouble.
“Even Oshiomhole, who by now ought to have surrendered himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over allegations of humongous corruption and stealing of public funds hanging on his neck, knows that he is a derelict salesman of a very bad product, but had to believably take up the job to save himself from prosecution.
“We know that Oshiomhole, in the excitement of his prosecution cover, would do everything to please his benefactor, but rather than seeking to distract our governors, who are busy delivering and commissioning projects; he should direct attention to President Buhari and APC governors who cannot boast of any serious achievement upon which they can campaign in 2019,” the party stated further.
In a sharp reaction, the APC speaking through its national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the PDP of being terrified of the emergence of Oshiomhole as the APC chairman, following their desperate efforts to stop his emergence.
He said: We will ignore them because they are upset with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, we know they are terrified of him, they did everything to stop him, they prayed and fasted that he didn’t emerge as the APC chairman and now that he did, they cannot sleep again.
”Whenever they sleep or dream, Oshiomhole has become their nightmare; they must find a way to bring him into any statement that they issue. Nobody can help them.
If they want a list of people who should surrender to EFCC, we will help them.”
