The People’s Democratic Party (PDP’s) claim that governance command structure has collapsed because the President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, is in seclusion has further exposed the party’s love of hysteria and tragi-comedy.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says only psychopaths and people afflicted with dementia would get high on human misery the way the top hierarchy of the PDP does.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO noted that the allegation showed how shallow PDP and its leaders are in their thinking.
“Yes, Malam Kyari is in isolation after testing positive to Covid-19, but it is sheer mischief, and ignorance, to suggest that this has affected ‘command structure at the Federal Executive Council’.
“Is it difficult for a PDP’s henchmen to know that under the Buhari Presidency, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) is the clearinghouse for cabinet matters and not the office of the Chief of Staff?
“Or is it a case of throwing decency and a little bit of humanity the party might still have to the dogs, in a bid to gloat over Malam Kyari’s situation vis-a-vis his role as President Buhari’s key aide?
“Only mischief-makers bent on making political capital out of everything would issue such a farcical statement when it is common knowledge that it is the SGF
that treats memos from cabinet members and passes them on for discussion at FEC meetings.
“And by the way, only an irresponsible group would indulge in fake news by suggesting that ‘some Presidency officials, as well as some state governors and other high profile officials and individuals reportedly tested positive to the virus.’
“But in spite of PDP’s poorly-disguised bad-belle, Nigeria under President Buhari has the least Coronavirus infection rate and figures in the world, relative to population figures, and this government has continued to show capacity in containing the spread of the virus.
“All issues concerning the management of Coronavirus have been taken to the public space, inclusive of the self-isolation of one of the President’s daughters, so also was the testing of both the President and the Vice President that were returned negative.”
The group also wondered why the opposition party is always looking at capitalising on any challenging situation in the country to play partisan politics.
“We shudder at the sheer lack of humanity in the leadership of a party that is always looking at milking every seeming challenge confronting Nigerians.
“This party has proved that it has no qualms in engaging in needless political exhibitionism to keep its name on the pages of national dailies.
“Yet, this same PDP has not shown that it appreciates that the world is in the midst of a crisis by holding a rally at a time responsible groups were banning large gatherings and where its leaders, including a state governor, used Covid-19 to make morbid political jokes.
“It is also on record that PDP recently held congresses in some states in contravention of governments’ directives banning gatherings of more than 50 people.
“How sickening can an opposition party be at a time its counterparts in Africa and other parts of the world that have been working on bipartisan efforts to mitigate the effect of a pandemic that knows no party affiliation,
“In fact, we believe that instead of openly relishing in Nigerians’ trauma from this imported epidemic, which the Buhari administration is fighting tooth and nail to wrestle down, this is the time for the PDP to pitch in by returning some of the billions of dollars it stole from the country’s Treasury during its 16 years in power”
BMO assured Nigerians of the commitment of the Buhari administration to flatten the curve of the virus but urged the citizenry to abide by the directives of local and federal authorities on social distancing.