Umahi: PDP Mocks Buhari For ‘Political Scavenging’, Urges President To Get Serious With Governance

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the comment by President Muhammadu Buhari on the defection of Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State to the All Progressive Congress (APC) smacks of dereliction of duty and “political scavenging” by the Buhari Presidency.

Governor Umahi who formally defected to the ruling party on Tuesday cited injustice in the opposition PDP as his reason for his defection.

President Buhari on Wednesday commended the defection of Ebonyi Governor to the APC, describing it “as a bold move driven purely by principle rather than opportunistic motives.”

“I am proud of Governor David Umahi for taking this bold decision in accordance with his conscience and principles rather than any external influence or coercion,” Garba Shehu, Presidential Media Aide quoted the President to have said on Wednesday.

Reacting on Thursday, the PDP through Kola Ologbondiyan, its Spokesperson, said the President’s statement exposes how our nation was brought to her knees as compelling demands of office are made to suffer while the Presidency gloats over trivial issues.

“The party describes President Buhari’s action in abandoning the responsibilities of his office, at this critical time, to focus on personal partisan adventure of an individual, as a misplacement of energy, the statement added.

“The development further exposes Mr. President’s incompetence and poor understanding of the tenets of leadership, statesmanship and expectations of his office.

“The PDP holds as appalling that the Buhari Presidency is showing more urgency in commenting on political adventures rather than expressing concern on the reported kidnapping of 12 senior police officers by bandits.

“The party observed that if President Buhari had used the same urgency he displayed in commenting on Governor Umahi’s defection to address the issue of police brutality, the crisis situation, death, arson, destruction of public and private property witnessed in the aftermath of the #endSARS protest would have been averted.

“Indeed, if Mr. President had shown similar urgency towards the demand for the rejigging of our national security architecture, we would have averted the escalated insurgency, kidnapping and bloodletting ravaging our country today.

“In the same vein, if President Buhari had used the same urgency to respond to the call to reorganize his economic team, end the corruption in his government as well as address the frightening upsurge in unemployment under his watch, our nation would not be in this sorry state as the poverty capital of the world.

“President Buhari has indeed shown that he has no time for governance; completely out of sync with the social and political reality in our country and disconnected from the expectations of Nigerians on his office, particularly at this trying time.”