Oshiomhole: PDP’s Dubai Meeting Meant to Destabilise Buhari’s Govt

• Backs prolonged closure of borders

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that the recent meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was meant to create disharmony in the governance of Nigeria.

Oshiomhole has also stated that the Nigerian borders with neighbouring countries should remain closed until they comply with ECOWAS protocols.

The APC chairman made the allegation against the PDP Thursday while addressing journalists after a reconciliatory meeting with aggrieved Bayesla State’s governorship aspirants held at the party secretariat in Abuja.

He said: “Let me also say that, watching the news and reading the papers over the period, we see that the meeting that PDP held in Dubai, part of the decision they took at those meetings was to come back home and begin to throw bag of lies and untruth with a view to creating distraction and even creating disharmony within the governance of Nigeria.”

He said he was surprised that the PDP dragged the judiciary into the murky waters of politics.

Oshiomhole said that he was shocked that the PDP and its agent, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), claimed during a press conference that the new judges that are about to be appointed were to favour the ruling party at the supreme court.

He noted, “Now the question is, should the supreme court be denied the appointment of all the judges they need; should we say because election matters are in tribunal, Supreme court judges should not be appointed?”

The national chairman stressed that the main opposition party was already in its old traditional way, seeking to infiltrate, to dictate and blackmail the judiciary

The national chairman also completely disassociated himself and members of his party from from 2023 presidential election posters.

He added, “I stand here as National Chairman of APC not only to deny those posters as they affect me, but to deny those posters as they affect any leader of our party because it is not yet time. Even people who may have ambition are aware that this is not the time.”

Oshiomhole said that at this point in time all hands must be on deck to support President Muhammadu Buhari and all APC state governors in their respective states to work together unanimously to deliver deliverables for the good of the people in the states and at the federal level.

Oshiomhole stressed that this is not the time to talk politics, adding that politics cannot be an all-round season, insisting that the season for politics is over.

He added that all the APC members are committed to backing the president to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

In another development, Oshiomhole has said that Nigerian borders with neighbouring countries should remain closed until they comply with ECOWAS protocols.

He stated this when he paid a solidarity visit to the office of the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali yesterday in Abuja.

He explained that his party is strongly in support of the border closure and all other reforms being carried out by the service.

He added that such action should be sustained for the economic growth of the country.

He said the APC under his leadership is impressed and has resolved to identify with the NCS on the feat recorded so far.

“The state must have control over the economy and Nigeria is absolutely right in taking the decision having been victims of expired rice brought in through the porous borders.

“It is a shame that after spending much to reposition agriculture, we still allow people to import expired rice into our country.

“We are lucky to have a president who told us to consume what we produce in the country in order to grow our economy.

“People are complaining that the prices of food commodities have gone up. Our farmers should make money from their sweat.

“Over the years, farmers got a good harvest, sometimes with right prices but smugglers often crash the prices,” he
said.

The APC chairman urged Nigerians to go into farming and take advantage of the current good price of food produce.

Ali, while responding, thanked the APC chairman for identifying with the service in the step taken to boost the economy of the country.

He said the border closure had boosted the nation’s revenue and also reduced the rate of insecurity in the country.

Ali stated that the borders would remain closed until neighbouring countries comply with the ECOWAS protocols on the transit of goods and services, which they have all signed