By Omeiza Ajayi
The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has launched a fierce counter-attack on the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP for describing it as an enemy of democracy, explaining that the PDP’s definition of democracy is simply a euphemism for looting.
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in a telephone interview with Vanguard said the PDP is perpetually uncomfortable with APC’s style of democracy which he said is a clear departure from the ruinous years of the erstwhile ruling party.
Issa-Onilu was reacting to a statement by the PDP on Thursday in which it accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party of destroying Nigeria’s democracy.
According to the APC spokesman, “the PDP’s style of democracy is synonymous with looting”.
He said; “I cannot argue with them because you also have to understand their definition of democracy and if they are talking from that point of view, APC completely agrees with them. What is their point of view? The point of view where democracy means that few political elites who have access to this nation’s resources share it among themselves and nothing for the country. And that is why for 16 years, PDP’s definition of democracy was to have resources coming from the high oil price, a lot of revenue coming in and no infrastructure anywhere, no economic policy that is sustainable, no diversification of the economy and they sold the biggest of our assets to themselves.
“So, if that is the definition of the PDP that we all know is their definition, then completely, APC agrees with PDP that we have completely eroded their own type of democracy and in its place, we have put in place democracy that serves the people.
Democracy is useless if it does not serve the people. The democracy that builds infrastructure, the democracy that creates jobs, the democracy that empowers people; the democracy that prevents people from stealing government resources and getting away with it; the democracy that ensures that our economy is diversified; the democracy that has led to near self-sufficiency in rice production, that has boosted agriculture in this country, that has made several people millionaires from farming, that is supporting the micro and medium scale enterprises.
That is the democracy that we have put in place in exchange for PDP’s style of democracy. So, we completely agree with them”, he added.
Vanguard
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