ACN flays PDP

Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Wednesday, described a statement credited to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that President Goodluck Jonathan is being criticized because he is from a minority geo-political zone as irresponsible.

The party also said if President Jonathan feels he is unfairly criticized, he should come out with facts and figures.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed shock and disappointment that a party that has always been quick to tout its “nationalist” credentials will stoop so low to stoke the fire of sectional politics.

According to him, “if the PDP feels that the President is being unfairly criticized over his administration’s poor performance, it should use verifiable facts and figures, not cooked-up statistics, to counter such criticism instead of resorting to a desperate tactics that could inflame the polity”.

ACN however maintained that President Jonathan as a democratically-elected leader is subject to criticism from those who elected him into office as well as the opposition, which has a stake in the well-being of the country.

’’President Jonathan is not an oracle or the head of an absolute monarchy who cannot be criticized. He is a democratically-elected President whose actions are subject to scrutiny by the people, irrespective of what part of the country he comes from”.

“The statement credited to the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh, is unprecedented and never before has the spokesman of a ruling party or a central government in Nigeria accused the opposition of criticizing the President because he is from one part of the country”. He added.

“The records are there for anyone who cares to check that we never spared former Presidents Obasanjo and Yar’Adua over their actions or inaction while in office. Why, therefore, should we not criticize President Jonathan over his actions and inaction in his official capacity? Why is anyone now pandering to sectional sentiment” he queried.