PDP, ACN fight dirty

 THE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday fought dirty calling each other names.

While the ACN described the PDP as a ruling party with a failed presidency, the other described the ACN as a party peopled by deceitful hypocritical leaders who pretend to be democrats.

The position of the ACN leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, on the crisis in Ekiti State chapter of the ACN where he asked Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele to shelve his governorship ambition ignited the war of words.

A statement issued on Friday by ACN spokesman, Lai Mohammed, asked PDP to mind its business regarding ACN’s handling of the rift between Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Bamidele.

The ACN wondered why the PDP, “beset with its own crisis” would dabble into what was “strictly the internal affairs of the ACN, an issue that had no bearing on governance at the national level” where the PDP had allegedly been bumbling.

It said the ACN leadership had no regrets for saying Governor Fayemi should be allowed to go for a second term because he had performed well, adding that “a student who does well deserves promotion.”

“This is unlike the situation in the PDP where even a president who has failed woefully, using his own lowered ‘marking scheme’, is being offered an automatic ticket! ACN rewards excellence, not indolence; and we have no apologies for this,” the party said, asking when Mr. Bamidele appointed the PDP as his defender.

ACN wondered why the PDP leadership had been gallivanting from one zone to another trying to reconcile its ever-warring members, if indeed the ruling party believed that other parties have no right to do the same.

“It seems, however, that what has irked the PDP is that where its own reconciliation efforts have failed woefully, because they were insincere, ACN’s have succeeded, due largely to the discipline in the party and the sincerity of its efforts. After all, we don’t go around suspending or destroying our best performers in the name of ‘reconciliation’,” it said.

ACN advised the PDP’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Tony Okeke, to learn the elementary lessons of being a party spokesman, which included not making comments unless there are compelling reasons to do so.

“We have noticed the enthusiasm of the new spokesman, which is good, especially since he wants to impress his masters so they can keep him on the job. But he needs tutelage and mentoring so that he can carry out his duties effectively.  So far, he has not availed himself creditably,” the party said.

But the PDP spokesman, Okeke, in a telephone interview with Saturday Tribune last night, dismissed the ACN as a party of hypocritical leaders.

“If they like, they can call us names. We want them to trade facts with us, not insults. Unlike them, we are not interested in trading insults. ACN is a hypocritical party of people who pretend to be democrats. We are just exposing their hypocrisy. We will continue to do so. You cannot be claiming to be democrats when you deny people their right to contest.

“We have no problem with the ACN leader endorsing a candidate but he has no right to ask another person not to contest.

“Over the years, their (ACN) method of selecting candidates has never been through democratic means but they pick candidates in a mansion in Ikoyi (Lagos). If there is no internal democracy in a political party, it is a danger to the polity. It is immaterial whether it is Ekiti or anywhere. It is their (ACN) tradition,” PDP said.

Meanwhile, the ACN has said its spokesman has been vindicated for saying that the party’s former National Treasurer, Mr. Kenneth Kobani, had other reasons for resigning from the party than what he (Kobani) said, which was that the APC “has a clear ethno-religious slant, and does not take into account the security and geo-political realities of the very complex Nigerian state.”

The party said Mr. Kobani’s true position has been reflected in the fact that he was part of the PDP’s delegation to a meeting with President Jonathan, even when he (Kobani) had barely left the ACN.

“We knew the truth would soon come out, but it did even sooner than we imagined. First, the PDP placed a full page advert to cast aspersion on our party’s spokesman (as if there is no better way to spend a party’s funds), and then the man, on the same day, surfaced in Abuja as a member of delegation of a faction of Rivers PDP! Who is lying now?” ACN queried.

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