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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Presidency to apologise to Nigerians for its statement defending the decision of the President, Muhammadu Buhari to hold the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) inside the chambers of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
MERIDIAN SPY reported Sunday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in defence of the President’s action, stated that there is no provision in Nigeria’s constitution that bars the President from holding meetings in certain sections of the vast Presidential Villa.
“Just for the sake of the argument, this meeting, we say emphatically, was not convened at the Council Chamber. It was virtual, not a physical meeting,” Shehu also noted.
“Why was it a virtual meeting? The idea was to observe social distancing in view of health concerns. Knowing how small the conference hall of the party is, social distancing would only have been observed in the breach.
He concluded that, “In the end, a wise thing had been done because the President wants to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus disease.”
But the PDP, in reaction, rebuked the statement, noting that it was unfortunate the Presidency would post a denial even when the media and the public space are already awash with photographs and videos of the NEC meeting, with APC leaders physically in attendance inside the FEC chambers where President Buhari presided.
The main opposition party argued that “it is a fact before Nigerians that the meeting was physical and only virtual to the extent that some members of the APC NEC members were linked via conference call”.
In a series of tweet on Sunday, the PDP noted that “such a denial by President Buhari’s handlers has further exposed the decadence in the APC and the Buhari-Presidency”.
“What Nigerians expected of the @MBuhari Presidency and the @OfficialAPCNg, was to tender an unreserved apology to the nation and desist from further desecration of our national values and official conduct requirements,” said the PDP.
“The @OfficialPDPNig charges President @MBuhari to call his handlers to order so as to protect the integrity of his Presidency from further damage.”
