Learn to Tell the Truth, PDP Tells APC Spokesman

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to learn to be truthful, honest and desist from fabricating lies that could be injurious to democracy and peaceful co-existence in the country.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday said: “But for the maturity of President Goodluck Jonathan and the head of the APC’s Transition Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, who cleared the air, the country would have been thrown into crisis over the false alert by Lai Mohammed that the presidency was frustrating the process.

“After Joda debunked Mohammed’s false statement and denied that his committee was being frustrated by the PDP-led presidency, we waited for 48 hours expecting the APC spokesman to apologise to the nation, but this has not been done.

“It would be recalled that Mohammed in a press statement last Thursday alleged that the presidency and the PDP had ‘bluntly refused to cooperate’ with the APC to ensure a successful transition and that the transition committee of the federal government had refused to hold any meeting with that of the APC.

“Even after the PDP, through a

transition statement last Friday, debunked the false allegation with facts showing that the committees of the two parties have been holding fruitful meetings, Mohammed vehemently stuck to his position, only for the head of the APC’s transition committee, Alhaji Joda, to confirm on Tuesday that the two panels have been meeting and operating on the same page and that at no time did his team complain to anybody that there was no cooperation.

“The APC spokesman must realise that his style which is anchored on lies has negatively impacted the polity, especially hundreds of young Nigerians who now engage in insults and fabrications in the media thinking that such is what party publicity is all about.

“Mohammed should know that the campaigns with its attendant propaganda are over and that Nigerians expect a more mature and patriotic behaviour from the political class. He should therefore learn to get his facts right and be truthful in his statements at all times,” the PDP said.

Calling on all Nigerians to be wary of actions that are capable of causing disunity in the land, the PDP reiterated its resolve to focus only on purposeful criticism, while presenting credible alternatives to the policies and programmes of the in-coming administration in a manner that will promote democracy, unity and the wellbeing of Nigerians.