APC, PDP disagree over Wike’s ‘toothless bulldog’ tag on NGF

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APC, PDP disagree over Wike’s ‘toothless bulldog’ tag on NGF

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over Governor Nyesom Wike’s tagging of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) as a “toothless bulldog.”

APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in a chat with reporters yesterday in Abuja enjoined Nigerians to disregard the Rivers helmsman’s remarks, stating that the NGF “is well alive under (the) civilised Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.”

He challenged Wike to explain the major role he played when the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government “introduced the ‘16 is greater than 19’ political formula.”

The ruling party argued that the governor “is still living in the past when impunity was the order of the day”, adding: “He needs to wake up to the reality of a new era of justice, fairness and true democracy under the administration of the APC.”

Rising in defence of the governor in a statement, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, claimed that “the Oshiomhole-led leadership has become so irredeemable in its arrogance that it cannot realise that it is standing alone, particularly, on all issues relating to Edo State governorship election.”

The main opposition continued: “Majority of Nigerians are aware how Governor Wike and other PDP leaders across board have been resisting the relentless ploy by the APC leadership to destroy our democracy, subjugate our citizens and appropriate their wishes and aspiration, especially during elections.

“It is therefore not surprising that the APC leadership, having been exposed, would resort to hauling of invectives and tirades on Governor Wike and other democratically minded Nigerians.”

Furthermore, APC queried: “Does Governor Nyesom Wike think Nigerians can forget in a hurry the major role he, as a PDP minister, played when the then Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi scored 19 votes, but former Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, who scored 16 votes, was recognised as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum?”

The Rivers chief executive had on Monday in Port Harcourt described the NGF as “a toothless bulldog”, accusing the APC-led Federal Government of destroying the forum.

Blaming the APC “cabal” for the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki from seeking re-election on the platform of the party in this year’s gubernatorial election in Edo State, the Rivers chief executive had alleged that the NGF lost its strength immediately the current administration came to power in 2015.

But puncturing the allegation, Nabena insisted that the governor lacked the moral latitude to speak against the forum.