For asking Buhari to resign, PDP ‘afflicted by life-threatening pandemic’ —Presidency 

The presidency on Friday night reacted to the call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign after he approved the audit and investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other agencies.

In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, the presidency said the call was an indication that the PDP was gripped by an undemocratic pandemic.

According to Shehu, opposition parties in other climes play prominent roles in strengthening the democratic process in their various countries.

The statement read: “At a time when the whole world is unifying to confront a common enemy, Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party has launched a whirlwind campaign promoting undemocratic values, the latest manifestation of which is the call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation for allowing audits and investigation into several agencies of government, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Based on the statement issued by the embattled chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, it is clear that they would have liked the president to not investigate but to cover things up: to not wake the sleeping lion as voiced by another of their leaders.

READ ALSO: Secondus re-echoes call for Buhari to resign, lists areas President has ‘failed woefully’

“In a democracy, an opposition party is as critical to the system as the ruling party but in the case of Nigeria, the leading party in opposition is afflicted by a life-threatening sickness, the undemocratic pandemic as a result of which they are trading away the nation’s democratic values.

“The PDP government which exited the stage five years ago through a democratic election by voters dissatisfied with corruption on an industrial scale, policy paralysis, obsolete and decaying essential infrastructure appears to have forgotten the reason for their stunning defeat and seem hell-bent on the fooling the nation, yet again for another ride to power.

“President Buhari will not resign. He is determined to continue the crusade against corruption, both legacy and recently unearthed cases, that are found to be shabbily handled, and in some cases unattended to by past administrations.

“The National Assembly, by virtue of its right to conduct its oversight function is currently carrying out own investigations. Additionally, the security and intelligence agencies are equally doing their part and must be given the time and space to conclude their work and present their reports.

“The PDP cannot scare the government from probing the grave allegations made against MDAs and their chiefs because, failure to do so will amount to a historic betrayal of public trust.

“The PDP cannot subject Nigeria’s democracy to subterranean attacks and continue to pretend that they are well-meaning.”

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