The Presidency says the call by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asking President Muhammadu Buhari to resign is undemocratic.
It stated this while responding to the call by the PDP which asked the president to step down from office over corruption allegations bedeviling government agencies under his watch.
“Since transparency International said few years ago that the worst corruption was going-on in Nigeria under this regime, the situation has continued to worsen,” Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the opposition party said in a Friday press briefing that also touched on rising insecurity, poor leadership, crumbling economy among others.
“Corruption has now become a bazar with no pretense about it with all critical agencies of government including the anti-graft body themselves grossly engulfed in it,” Mr Secondus added.
But responding in a statement in Abuja this evening, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said the PDP’s call asking his principal to resign was undemocratic and won’t be heeded.
“At a time when the whole world is unifying to confront a common enemy, Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has launched a whirlwind campaign promoting undemocratic values, the latest manifestation of which is the call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation for allowing audits and investigation into several agencies of government, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,” Mr Shehu said.
“Based on the statement issued by the embattled chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus, it is clear that they would have liked the President to not investigate but to cover things up: to not wake the sleeping lion as voiced by another of their leaders.
“In a democracy, an opposition party is as critical to the system as the ruling party but in the case of Nigeria, the leading party in opposition is afflicted by a life-threatening sickness, the undemocratic pandemic as a result of which they are trading away the nation’s democratic values.
“The PDP government which exited the stage five years ago through a democratic election by voters dissatisfied with corruption on an industrial scale, policy paralysis, obsolete and decaying essential infrastructure appears to have forgotten the reason for their stunning defeat and seem hell-bent on the fooling the nation, yet again for another ride to power.
“President Buhari will not resign. He is determined to continue the crusade against corruption, both legacy and recently unearthed cases, that are found to be shabbily handled, and in some cases unattended to by past administrations.
“The National Assembly, by virtue of its right to conduct its oversight function is currently carrying out own investigations.
“Additionally, the security and intelligence agencies are equally doing their part and must be given the time and space to conclude their work and present their reports.
“The PDP cannot scare the government from probing the grave allegations made against MDAs and their chiefs because, failure to do so will amount to a historic betrayal of public trust.
“The PDP cannot subject Nigeria’s democracy to subterranean attacks and continue to pretend that they are well-meaning,” he added.
