A fresh row has broken out between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP is accussing the APC of planting presidential aspirants in its fold .
The APC yesterday rejected the claim and advised the PDP to leave it out of the challenges of choosing a presidential candidate from its deluge of aspirants.
APC National Publicity Secretary Yekini Nabena told The Nation that it will never descend to the level of planting aspirants in any party as, according to him, was the tradition with the PDP when it was in power.
He was responding to an online interview in which Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said the opposition was aware that some of those jostling for the PDP presidential ticket were being sponsored by the ruling party and the Presidency.
Wike said in the interview: ”Those who are complaining about me are those who are afraid because they are the agents of APC. We know those APC presidential aspirants who are agents of PDP. We know them. The Presidency and the APC have planted people within our party, and we know it.
“They planted Modu Sheriff and we fell for it. I bought into it, not knowing it was a set-up. And then when we realised, we said no, we have to fight it. And we fought it. I cannot again fall for the fool that I became under Ali Modu Sheriff. I know some of our presidential aspirants who are running on the sponsorship of the APC and the Presidency.”
Wike did not name such aspirants.
But Nabena faulted his claim, saying the moles planted in its fold by the former ruling party, were back in PDP.
The APC spokesman said: “That is not true. We will never descend to that level of planting people in the PDP. We all know that they were the ones planting people in the past. We have no business with whatever they are doing.
“The PDP should face their problems and address them. We have better things to do than think of how to plant aspirants in their party. The people that left our party for the PDP were those they planted in the party and when they failed to achieve their aim of destroying the party, they left.
“So, the PDP should face its problems and leave us out of it. We have nothing to do with the party and its aspirants”.
Later in a statement last night, the ruling party challenged the PDP to name such aspirants, adding that the PDP in its despair over its failed 2019 election bid for the presidency has resorted to comical conspiracies.
The statement, signed by Nabena, said: “Instead of putting its house in order, it is laughable that Governor Wike and his PDP cohorts are clutching on straws in their desperate bid to remain in public reckoning in the face of imminent 2019 defeat.
“Meanwhile, we challenge Governor Wike to be brave enough and name the APC-sponsored aspirants among the crowd that have signified interest to run for the presidency under the PDP.
“We urge the PDP to quickly wake up to the reality that the 2019 presidential elections have been won and lost.
“The PDP is a dead party and we urge its members who share our progressive ideals to leave the sinking and rudderless ship and come over to the APC, which is rebuilding and repositioning the country in all facets.”
Some of the aspirants in the PDP are: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Kaduna State governor Senator Ahmed Makarfi; Dr. Datti Baba Ahmed; former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido; former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa; ex- former Plateau State Jonah Jang and former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido.
Others are former Senate President David Mark; Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwanbo; former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso; former Minister Tanimu Turaki; Senate President Bukola Saraki and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal. - The Nation
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