By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Like a pupil taken through the elementary learning stage in school, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, schooled the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on things it believes it doesn’t know regarding the rationale behind appointment of one of its doing well members, who has served the nation well via the Media Office of the President, Lauretta Onochie, as National Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The APC, by implication, was telling the opposition party that the current INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, is a card carrying member of PDP and that if, as governing part, its Government could been tolerant enough to appoint him, the there can be no it cannot live with APC as INEC National Commissioner.
It said, “We are very comfortable with Lauretta Onochie’s appointment.”
The APC was reacting to outburst of the opposition party in a statement by Yekini Nabena, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, saying there was nothing wrong with the appointment.
Nabena also said that the party will not succumb to the cheap blackmail orchestrated by the PDP, using the opportunity to accuse the opposition of crying wolves when some of its members are currently in INEC.
He added that what is good for the PDP is also good for the APC.
According to the APC scribe, “Again, the INEC Commissioner in Cross River, Mike Igini, is he not a PDP member? How about the INEC spokesman, is he not a PDP man? So, what are they talking about?” He queried.
The statement said, “All these cheap blackmail by PDP is not going to work. As a party, we are comfortable with her appointment.
“Even the current INEC chairman was a PDP man. Was he not recruited from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)?
“Let us face the facts and stop the cheap blackmail being sponsored by the PDP. We are not going to succumb to their cheap blackmail. That is the reality,” he said.
