The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the PDP’s reference to APC’s Road Map as a product of ‘Janjaweed Ideology’ is a thinly-veiled religious blackmail, which is in furtherance of its (PDP’s) ongoing campaign to pigeon-hole the APC as an Islamic party, rather than engage in an informed critique of the Road Map.
On a more dangerous level, it shows that the PDP will not relent from engaging in Islamophobia by using the Boko Haram crisis in a part of the country to stereotype Muslims and paint them as terrorists, even when it is obvious that majority of Muslims do not support the heinous crimes being perpetrated by the sect, APC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.
But, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted promptly to the APC’s statement, saying it stands by its statement that “the APC is pursuing a Janjaweed ideology adding that the road map unveiled by the opposition party last week was “a roadmap to perdition.”
APC wondered why the PDP, in reacting to the APC’s Road Map, would be making an allusion to the despicable Janjaweed militia which is wreaking havoc in Sudan’s Western Darfur region, saying this is nothing short of religious escapism and a dangerous attempt to whip up religious sentiments against people of a certain faith.
”The only reason that the PDP used the word ‘Janjaweed’ is because the militia that goes by that name comprises mostly, if not exclusively, of people of Arab/Muslim stock in Sudan.
”This has further confirmed our fears that there is a clear attempt by the PDP, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, to divide Nigerians along religious lines as never before in the history of our country and to use religious as a political tool – a very dangerous move that can only result in religious warfare, from which no country that engages in it has ever survived intact.
”Or how else can one explain the continuous attempt by the PDP, despite warnings from right thinking people and groups, to cast people of a certain faith, who constitute half of our country’s population, as either terrorists or terror sympathizers/sponsors, or to label the APC as an Islamic party just to hang it? Couldn’t the PDP have criticized our Road Map without resorting to its well-worn, dangerous game of religious blackmail?” APC queried.
The party said while it had been restrained all along by not responding in kind to PDP’s blackmail, it is not unaware of the dictum that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth.
”Perhaps the PDP has mistaken our decision to take the high road and avoid religious and ethnic politics as a sign that it (PDP) is succeeding in its religious blackmail. Therefore, we have decided to let Nigerians know that the sooner they repudiate this dangerous tactics by the PDP, the safer for our country.
”We are a party for all Nigerians, and we believe in issues-based politics, not one based on religious or ethnic sentiments. We believe God is neither Christian nor Muslim, and that he is the God of all, irrespective of their religion. We believe God will judge politicians not according to their religion but according to how much they have fulfilled the mandate to ensure the welfare and security of their people, and by how much they have lessened the people’s burdens rather add to them.
”We therefore call on Nigerians to prevail on the PDP, especially President Jonathan, to de-emphasize ethnic and religious politics. President Jonathan should start off by refraining from using the Pulpit to disseminate political messages, as he has been doing since assuming office,” APC said.
The party challenged the PDP to unveil its own Road Map for Nigerians to see and compare, rather than attempt to drown the opposition’s message in a sea of religious blackmail.
”We will not allow our Road Map to be buried on the altar of diversionary rhetoric by the do-nothing PDP. Therefore, in the days and weeks ahead, we will be highlighting the key areas of the document for all Nigerians to see.
”For now, let us say that our Road Map is for job creation, for which we have unveiled a broad and comprehensive agenda to create 20,000 jobs in each state for those with the minimum qualifications and who participate in technology and vocational training, and to encourage every state government to create jobs by matching every job created at the state government level with two jobs by the federal government.
”We will fight corruption, for which the PDP-led FG has become infamous, whenever and wherever it occurs. An APC government will show zero tolerance for government or private sector corruption by placing the burden of proof on persons with inexplicable wealth to prove their innocence; and guaranteeing the independence of anti-corruption and financial crimes.
”We will provide free, relevant and quality education that is essential to prepare our youth for the jobs of tomorrow and to ensure Nigeria’s future success. We will revive agriculture as an engine for economic growth and new jobs and increase the supply of quality housing through a policy of social housing for the poor and affordable housing for the working class.
”We will improve Health Care; provide Social Welfare; build and improve our roads, power and basic infrastructure to create new jobs and unleash business growth and strengthen peace and security by stopping the kind of horrendous acts of terrorism, especially in the Northeast, which have robbed us of Nigerian lives of every age and withered confidence in our nation’s security,” APC said.
Also, in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Olish Metuh, the PDP blasted the APC for alleging that the ruling party engaged in Islamaphobia in its earlier statement where it described the APC ideology as a Janjaweed product.
The PDP maintained that the ideology of APC is the same as the Janjaweed as well as the Anti-Balaka and the Seleka of the Central African Republic whose ideology is completely anarchists.
The ruling party insisted that it will be out of place for anybody to associate APC with Islam or any other religion for that matter adding that no religion encourages the promotion of violence, greed, destruction and lust for power which are the trademarks of the APC.
Charging the APC to stop the heinous attempt at hiding under Islam to curry public sympathy, the PDP said the APC has since shown that it is a party that has no respect for Islam adding that no true Muslim would identify with a party made up of anarchists bound together by the lust for power and desperation to rule by any means including shedding of blood.
Stating that the PDP has more committed Muslims, and who are worshipping Allah in truth more than the APC, the statement noted that the PDP is led by a very dedicated Muslim as National Chairman and who replaced another prominent Muslim National Chairman.
The party went ahead to state that it has responsible and committed Muslims as ministers, state governors, legislators and its leaders in the national, state, local government and ward levels across the country.
The PDP noted that in working tirelessly to ensure that they make the country ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan, the APC has shown that they do not believe the truth in the Koran that power belongs only to Allah and that, in His infinite grace and wisdom, He gives power to anybody he chooses.
On the roadmap unveiled by the APC, the PDP insisted that it is not worth discussing as it was evidently rushed out without proper homework. The ruling party described the document as wishy-washy, lacking in depth and character and failed to address any issue.
It said the APC should desist from deceiving the people with empty promises as contained in some of the items in the roadmap. It pointed out that while the roadmap promised free education, students in Lagos state have been on the streets protesting imposition of high school fees by the state where the people are also groaning under the burden of heavy taxes to finance the wasteful lifestyle of APC leaders.
The PDP added that it is most curious that the APC with 16 states under their control have not been able to implement any of its Janjaweed ideology as state governments are constitutionally empowered to attempt implementation of almost all the 7 cardinal programmes launched by APC.
The party ended by stating that the “APC actually launched 7(seven) cardinal SINS against the national interest namely; 1. Deceit and propaganda, 2. Violence and destruction. 3. Lust for power. 4. Greed for money and insatiable acquisition of wealth. 5. Multiple and over-taxation. 6. Promotion of religious/tribal divisions and 7. Lack of respect for democratic tenets and principles.”
