PDP 'll not be cowed or blacmailed —Oni
LAGOS — The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has raised alarm over "credible threats" to Governor Rauf Aregbesola's life within the context of a dastardly plot being allegedly engineered by the PDP to destabilise the South-West and soften the ground for the party (PDP) ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Meanwhile, the PDP has lashed out at the ACN for levelling false allegations against it, saying ACN was plotting to destabilise Nigeria as a nation.
In a statement in Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Osun State was being targeted in the pilot scheme of this act of desperation by the PDP, which is hell bent on causing chaos in the region.
It said: ''The architects of this plot believe that unless the PDP destabilises the South-West and gets rid of the man they see as an implacable foe of the party (PDP), the President's putative plan to run for re-election in 2015 will be in jeopardy, especially as they are afraid—for reasons best known to them —that the President will not get the backing of the North-West and the North-East in his quest for re-election.
"The first step in the dastardly plot is the fabrication of an 'intelligence report' alleging that Gov. Aregbesola is nursing a secessionist plan; that he now plays Osun's anthem in place of the national anthem; that he has since dispensed with the services of the SSS operatives attached to him and replaced them with Islamic extremists called 'Tawun'; that he has officially changed the uniforms of secondary schools in Osun, made the wearing of hijab compulsory for female students and enforces that through Islamic militants, and that he has sent militants for revolutionary training in Cuba.
"The cooked intelligence report concluded that all legal and constitutional means must be used to stop him. Reading between lines, the measures being advocated in the report could only be impeachment (this is impossible considering the clean sweep of the PDP's footsteps in the state), creation of chaos and anarchy to pave the way for the imposition of a state of emergency in the state, or the final solution, which is physical elimination."
PDP 'll not be cowed or blacmailed—Oni
The PDP said in a statement by its National Vice Chairman (South-West), Chief Segun Oni, that the PDP as a party would not be cowed or blackmailed to abandon its resolve to rescue the South-West from those it described as "predators," adding: "This is another concocted statement by the ACN in its desperate attempt to cover up the ACN now exposed grand plot to destabilise Nigeria as a nation."
The statement signed by Oni's Media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka read: "We are a law-abiding party and we will always be opposed to the reign of these haters of the law and enemies of truth and peace.
"Our position is that actions and utterances of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State suggest that he is championing plot to disintegrate Nigeria and the evidence(s) are there.
"Is it not true that Aregbesola is sending student activists to Cuba? Is it not true that he goes about with security guards other than men of the police and SSS? Is it not true that he goes about with flag of his imaginary republic? Is it not also true that there is a facebook account named Oduduwa Republic, with flag and map of a republic?"
"We, therefore, wish to reiterate our call to security agencies not to succumb to the blackmail of the ACN, because issues bothering on threat to corporate existence of Nigeria is a serious security matter and security agencies in the country must go the extra mile to investigate these allegations."
The PDP added that it had also taken due notice of the attempt, by the ACN in its Wednesday statement signed by Mohammed, to play the North against President Goodluck Jonathan but stressed that; "unfortunately for that party (ACN), it is known everywhere as a band of noisemakers while the entire country has continued to show its love and support for President Jonathan and his party.
"The ACN came into governance of the South West through dubious means and they think they can sustain their reign with vicious propaganda. No. It won't work here. Yorubas are far too enlightened, too sophisticated to submit with docility to a reign of predators and destroyers. The PDP will use every legal and constitutional means to rescue Western Nigeria.
"We therefore advise the ACN to tell its governors to stop seeing wolf where there was none and concentrate on governance saying; "the people have already tasted the bile of the ACN and have spat it out. The next elections will confirm this. It is a promise."
Vanguard Nigeria