The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused opposition leaders of weaponising grudges, bandy false narratives, peddle lies and engage in smear campaigns designed to sow discord and mislead the public.
The ruling party said opposition figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governors of Kaduna, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Sokoto, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amechi have failed to provide leadership, purpose, direction and vitality to their parties.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka in a statement issued Sunday maintained that without effective leadership, opposition parties cannot perform their role of promoting accountability of governance or its role to provide credible policy alternatives or extending cooperation to the ruling party in pursuit of progress, and achieving the common good.
He noted that rather than focus their attention and touted leadership abilities to building viable opposition parties, they prefer to play the blame game, pointing fingers at the APC for failure that is entirely their own.
The party spokesman noted that by their inert and lackluster engagement, it was now clear to Nigerians that the present crop of opposition leaders have lost focus, assuming they ever had any, aside from their compulsive and obsessive crave for power and patronage that feed their huge ego and greed.
Morka added: “Opposition politics is not simply about membership of a political party different from the ruling party. It is not just about the freedom to zap in and out of political parties based on purely selfish political calculations. It is also not about the freedom to bandy false narratives, peddle lies and engage in smear campaigns designed to sow discord and mislead the public. Opposition politics is certainly not also about weaponising grudges disguised as opposition critiques.
“It is perplexing that these opposition leaders – the likes of Tambuwal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Mr. Peter Obi and Mr. Rotimi Amechi – who have occupied some of the highest political offices in our country have failed, horridly and disgracefully, to provide leadership, purpose, direction and vitality to their parties.
“It is also about the duty of opposition leaders to take responsibility and accountability for their failure as leaders of their parties.”
Morka further said that no member of the political opposition is above the law just like no citizen is above the law.
He added: “Tambuwal’s suggestion that his recent arrest and ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged cash withdrawals totalling N189 billion in contravention of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2022 indicated a politically-motivated clamp down on the opposition bellies the obscene and perverse entitlement mentality that these opposition leaders carry.
“Resorting to emotional blackmail against the government as a device to shield himself or anyone from lawful scrutiny, investigation or prosecution for suspected heinous economic crimes will not and should not cut it as opposition sacred cows.
“Tambuwal must believe that his status as an opposition politician confers some kind of immunity from investigation or prosecution by anti-corruption agencies.”