PDP accuses APC of splitting nation along religious lines

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Urges resistance, says party promotes violence, division


ANOTHER dimension was added to the rivalry between the two major political parties in the country as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of a plot to split the nation along religious lines.
  In a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, the PDP accused the APC of plotting to impose what it called an Islamic agenda on the country.
  Metuh’s statement reads: “Now that an Islamic cleric, Ambassador Yusuf Garba and the Religious Equity Promotion Council (REPC) have exposed the evil plot by the APC to balkanise our nation along religious lines by imposing an Islamic agenda just like the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood, the PDP wishes to make it manifest to all Nigerians to stand up and resist this evil machination by enemies of our dear country.
  “This revelation which came even from Muslims goes to vindicate the PDP and confirm our earlier stand that the APC is a party of bloodthirsty, religious and ethnic bigots averse to the unity of the country and the peaceful co-existence of our people.”
  It continues: “This explains the reason the APC has been promoting violence, divisions and blood-letting across the country; which are all aimed at making the people lose faith in the Nigerian project; set the ground for massive mayhem, bloodletting and ultimately balkanise our country.
  “Nigerians are now no longer at a loss on the real reason the APC has been desperate to hold power. They now know why they have been moving round the country organising protests and investing heavily in planting seeds of discord and disagreements among the people using their stock-in-trade of propaganda, deceit, falsehood and doomsday prophecies.

  “This revelation also explains why they have been arming thugs to disrupt electoral processes. A case in point being the importation of hundreds of armed thugs to disrupt the Anambra governorship election last December. But for the police, which arrested some of the thugs, the APC would have unleashed mayhem on the state and used it as a test for its larger plan in the 2015 general elections.
  “We are happy that Nigerians are no fools. Genuine Muslims know that Islam stands for peace. Therefore, any attempt to use religion to divide the country must be resisted. We thank all Nigerians especially true Muslims for exposing and rejecting the APC and its devilish plot. Now that their plot has been exposed, we advise the APC to retrace their steps and purge themselves of their evil machinations.”
  Insisting on its determination to develop the country as opposed to the alleged divisive agenda of the APC, the party continued in the statement: “In the PDP, it is our unshakable creed that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians irrespective of religious, tribal, ethnic or regional affiliations. This country belongs to Muslims, Christians and citizens of other religious persuasions alike and our people are free to live and work in any part of the country and aspire to any office irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliations.
  “The PDP remains committed to the national unity as encapsulated in our manifesto and the ideals of our founding fathers and on that note will resist anything that seeks to balkanise our country and cause divisions among our people.”
  It added: “The PDP is a party that is built on the principles of freedom, equality, justice and service. In this great party, considerations are not made based on religious, tribal or ethnic interests. Here, there are neither
Christians nor Muslims; Hausa nor Yoruba; Fulani nor Ijaw; Igala nor Igbo and so on. The PDP remains a large family with enough room to accommodate all opinions and interests without compromising the national interest.
  “We therefore call on all Nigerians to stand up and defend the unity of our dear nation and resist attempts by the APC to destroy our common heritage as a people.”