All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign has described as felonious, claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign, which call to question General Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to Nigeria even as it dismissed questions raised about the civil war role and commitment to the nation of its Presidential candidate.
In a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign, Garba Shehu, described the PDP as questioning the continued existence of Nigeria as single entity.
“This is nothing short of treason. It rocks the foundation of the oneness of Nigeria, its constitution, its flag and desecrates the blood of fellow citizens, who fought on both sides of the war as part of their commitment to one, united nation.”
He dismissed the PDP’s attack on Buhari’s illustrious war record and inspiring patriotism as “a grim pointer to the desperation by the President to return even if in the process, he causes a permanent damage to the well being and continued existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Garba Shehu accused the PDP of riding roughshod over the emotions of the Nigerian peoples, saying the latest statement beamed an unflattering light on the PDP and its government and lent credence to those who accused the ruling party of having lost interest in the unity of Nigeria.
He said that the world history had shown that in the process of the development of any nation, challenges bordering on national unity always crop up, saying: “This is the case with most developed nations. Take the United States of America for example, the civil war they fought did not decimate the nation but rather set up the base for unified development. Today, we all know how great the United States is.
“So, as it happened there, we, Nigeria as a nation, equally faced this type of challenge. We had to take actions, difficult as they were, to ensure peace, unity and progress. As a soldier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Buhari’s participation in efforts to keep the country together was not because he loved the Igbos less but because it was imperative that we develop as a unified nation.
“Today, we are all here because of the sacrifices of our past heroes. Buhari, as a person, believes that these sacrifices should not be in vain; that we should build on our gains as a unified country on the pains of the past.
“Neither as Igbo, Hausa, Efik, Yoruba, Ijaw and Fulani, among other tribes, but as brothers and sisters unified in the vision of a greater future for our children.” [myad]
