Niger APC, PDP trade words over Osinbajo’s visit

Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo’s visit to Niger State has triggered an exchange of bitter words between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Professor Osibanjo was in the ancient town of Bida on Saturday as a Special Guest for the turbaning ceremony of four prominent sons of the emirate by the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.

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Consequently, the opposition PDP said the APC ought to have conducted the Vice-president round and possible commission some projects.

It accused the ruling APC in the state of having nothing to show in terms of projects in the last six years, saying the claim that the visit was a low key one is to deceive the citizens.

The party’s chairman in the state, Tanko Beji, in a statement, said the APC government was a monumental failure, recalling how the Vice President was made to commission an uncompleted road project out of desperation to hide its shame.

“As though that is not enough undoing, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was not shown any project or landmark achievement by either the government or the APC legislators to commission in Bida,” he said.

“The PDP promises to bring back the days of projects, development, vision and mission with clear-cut articulate policies to reset the state back to its glory from 2023”

In its reaction, the APC, in a statement by its state secretary, Mr Ibrahim Aliyu Khaleel, said the PDP completely lack the moral right to accuse the ruling party of nonperformance, saying the opposition party had lost touch with reality and is also not aware of protocol.

Khaleel, in his defence, pointed out that the visit of the vice president was “a private visit” and that the government of Abubakar Sani Bello was only present to accord him respect.

Khaleel said the PDP should face its internal crisis instead of “poking its running nose” into issues that do not concern it.

“Without labouring issues, we want the PDP leadership to focus on its internal crisis which has made it impossible for it to conduct elections in 8 local governments.

“A party that cannot manage its internal affairs should not poke its running nose into the affairs of another party,” he said.