A member of the House of Representatives representing Eket/Onna Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Dan Bassey Abia, has said that the merger of opposition political parties under the umbrella of All Progressive Congress ( APC) is a product of desperation which will not stand the test of time.
Describing the merger as a “compendium of strange and odd bed fellows that are given much hype by the media,” Abia, in a statement issued, Monday, also commended the presidency for discovering 45,000 ghost workers on the payroll of about 215 Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the recently implemented Integrated Personnel Payment System (IPPS).
He noted that the idea behind the formation of the merger was not altruistic and will not benefit the generality of Nigerians, APC should not be trusted with power by Nigerians.
The lawmaker insisted that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) possesses the political will to give good leadership to Nigerians, and as well, transform the nation in all spheres.
“The so-called merger of opposition parties which gave birth to All Progressive Congress is dangerous to the country as it is a product of desperation.
“The APC is a compendium of strange and odd bedfellows that are being given much hype by the media. The promoters of the merged parties do not have the character and interest of the country at heart to make any meaningful headway at leadership of the country.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the only party without ethnic or regional appendage. Our party is strong, united, have the required structures and is desirous on transforming the country.
“With such visionary leaders as President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Vice President Namadi Sambo, former Vice Presidents Alex Ekwueme and Atiku Abubakar, backed by strong and able governors like Chief Godswill Akpabio, among others, PDP remains the party with the right focus at transforming the country,” he said.
Abia said that no matter the hype given to APC, the PDP is not moved but charged to keep its place in Nigerian governance.
“The party remains strong and determined and is unruffled by the kind of amateurish propaganda that characterised the formation of APC, ” he added.
On ghost workers discovered in the Federal Civil Service, the lawmaker said that the Federal Government deserves commendation for taking the right steps leading to the discovery.
He advised the presidency to dig deeper into the issue and ensure that all culprits are punished in accordance with the law of the land.
“I urge the government to go beyond mere announcement of the discovery. An investigative panel should be set up to fish out those responsible for the fraud so that they could be prosecuted. This is to prevent those culpable from corrupting the system. Also, the outstanding 230 MDAs should be made IPPS compliant, so that payroll related fraud would be eliminated,” he advised.###
