THE All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, attacked Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde over his reference to the political violence in the Western Region in the First Republic.
While the APC described reference to the unsavoury violence of the First Republic “as reckless, and a clear and present threat to peace and national security, the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP noted that the governor’s reference implied a call to violence in the country’s politics, which it said, must not be allowed.
However, the Taminu Turaki-led PDP defended Makinde, saying that the comments of the governor were merely “advisory” to make the APC-led Federal Government realise that those who failed to learn from history were “doomed”.
Addressing the gathering of leaders of opposition political parties, Governor Makinde had warned against alleged orchestrated plot to impose a one-party state in the country.
He said: “For those that are carrying on as if there’s no tomorrow, they should remember that “operation wetie” started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West.
Makinde’s statement disturbing
The APC, in a press statement, on Sunday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, said “It is particularly disturbing for a sitting governor, who bears constitutional responsibility as the Chief Security Officer of his state, to conjure up one of the darkest episodes of political violence in Nigeria’s history to threaten violence against the people and government of Nigeria, alleging that by his incitement to violence, Makinde has showed himself to be unworthy of the high office of governor that he occupies.
“Makinde’s violent rhetoric cannot be dismissed as mere opposition posturing.
His statement risks fuelling anarchy, murderous rage and widespread lawlessness capable of undermining national stability. We, therefore, call on all relevant security and intelligence agencies to take this unfortunate development seriously and act to safeguard lives, property, and defend Nigeria’s democratic order.
“Makinde must be reminded that constitutional immunity from prosecution is not immunity from accountability for threats or acts against national security. No individual, however highly placed, should have the power to threaten or endanger the lives and safety of Nigerians or upend the country’s hard-won democratic governance under the guise of political commentary,” APC stated.
It is a call to violence – Wike-backed PDP
Also, the Mohammed-led NWC in a statement, in Abuja, on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expresses deep concern over reports of remarks allegedly made by Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, referencing ‘Wetie’, a term historically associated with a period of grave political violence in the history of our dear country.
“The party strongly condemns this disgraceful statement, and emphatically reiterates that violence has absolutely no place in our political space today.
“Nigeria must come first, before politics and before personal ambitions. Without a peaceful and stable nation, no political system or democratic process can thrive.
“The PDP therefore calls on all Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliation, to unite in rejecting any rhetoric or action that could incite unrest or threaten national cohesion.
“Our shared history reminds us of the cost of division, and we must remain vigilant in safeguarding the peace we have worked hard to build.”
The party asked security agencies to investigate that matter by carrying appropriate legal actions.
“We further urge security and law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties with diligence and professionalism by reviewing the circumstances surrounding these reports and also ensure that all relevant individuals are available to respond to lawful inquiries no matter how highly placed.
“The PDP remains committed to fostering a political culture rooted in dialogue, tolerance, and respect for the rule of law. Our nation’s future rests on our shared commitment to put the country first, above any individual interest”, the camp added.
Makinde’s statement advisory, Turaki-led PDP, Oyo chapter
Defending the governor, the Turaki-led NWC argued that President Bola Tinubu, the APC, and not Makinde, are the ones driving Nigeria towards violence.
It noted that Makinde only stated the obvious, that “greed” could lead to destruction.
“The use of history in the way and manner done by Governor Makinde in the said speech served as a caution and advisory to the Federal Government, the APC, and other national institutions, of the unmitigated crisis that their actions and inactions can result in. Only a guilty aggressor can interpret it to mean a threat or call to violence.
“It is common knowledge that those who do not learn from history are doomed by it.
“Governor Makinde offered a sobering reminder that, when insatiable political greed and avarice replace patriotism and good governance, and are compounded by the accumulated anger and frustrations of the citizenry, the resultant conflagration will be of an immeasurable proportion. This, again, is a fact that history bears witness to.
“The events that led to the sad incident of ‘wetie’ and the current happenings within the political space, as orchestrated by the APC, are not just similar, but identical in both intent and execution. To continue doing the same thing while expecting a different result is the very definition of political recklessness,” the national publicity secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, responded on Sunday.
The party further argued that when pushed to the wall, “people have no other direction to go but forward, against the wall itself. The current slide into elected totalitarianism has been entirely engineered by the APC and the Federal Government. They cannot decry the effect while remaining willfully blind to the cause and to their own culpability in it.”
It recalled that while the APC was in the opposition, it did not only threaten violence, but also vowed to make blood flow on the streets of Nigeria.
“When the APC was in opposition, they did not merely threaten violence, they openly promised to make the country ungovernable, with the infamous baboon and blood narrative. They therefore lack any moral capacity to complain about a mere historical recollection by a sitting governor.
“As long as the targeted state-sponsored decimation of the opposition continues, the opposition parties will explore increasingly potent strategies, entirely within the ambit of the law, to prevent the enthronement of a one-party state under an elected dictator,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State chapter of the PDP has criticised the APC over what it described as hypocrisy and an attempt to distort political history, following the statement issued by the APC’s national leadership.
In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Michael Ogunsina, the PDP said the APC’s position was “disingenuous” and reflected “political amnesia, selective morality, and intellectual dishonesty.” The party argued that the APC could not deny its own past rhetoric while now condemning similar expressions from opposition figures.
“The APC cannot rewrite history simply because it is now inconvenient,” the statement read, adding that the ruling party previously relied on “charged, confrontational, and highly mobilising rhetoric” during its years in opposition.
The PDP referenced past statements by President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that both leaders had, at different times, adopted strong language to mobilise political support.
The PDP claimed that “these are verifiable facts, not reinterpretations,” insisting that such rhetoric played a role in shaping national political discourse in earlier years.
