PDP: Buhari’s govt frustrating rescue of Dapchi girls

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of frustrating efforts to rescue abducted students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state.

The PDP said Boko Haram insurgents were able to repeat the Chibok girls abduction because the federal government deceived Nigerians into letting their guards down.

In a statement on Friday, Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the party, said the presidency deceived Nigerians that it had defeated the insurgents “in a bid to score cheap political points for its ill-lucked 2019 re-election bid”.

“The Buhari Presidency has put Nigerians at risk by deceiving the people and issuing false performance indices suggesting that insurgents have been completely routed out, a situation which made our unsuspecting citizens trust a lie and dropped their guards in the face of real threats and danger,” the statement read.

“Without doubt, if the incompetent All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government had not dished out lies to the people in a bid to score cheap political points for its ill-lucked 2019 re-election bid, more precautionary measures would have been adopted by the affected communities to ensure adequate protection.

“While Nigerians are appalled by APC’s recourse to false indices in critical sectors, it is however, to say the least, an inexcusable height of wickedness to give a vulnerable people a false assurance of security when they are actually in danger.”

The opposition party further decried the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly trying to suppress information on the true situation of the Dapchi abduction.

It said unlike the APC, the PDP never lied to the people, especially on issues of security.

“Furthermore, the PDP decries as iniquitous, the efforts by APC-controlled federal authorities to suppress information on the abduction, leading to conflicting reports and frustrating of rescue mission, just because they seek to hide the failures of the presidency in ensuring the safety of Nigerians, particularly in the north,” Ologbondiyan said.

“We were shocked that in their proclivity to deceive, the authorities earlier informed Nigerians that some of the girls have been recovered only for the news to turn out to be false.

“While President Buhari has not uttered any word of assurance, Government’s visiting team headed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed only had a whistle stop at the Dapchi school and made no effort to interface or even commiserate with community leaders and parents of the abducted girls, while completely shutting out the media.

“This only further confirms APC’s insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians. Under the PDP, Nigerians were never told lies on the true situation of the state of affairs in all sectors, particularly security. The PDP-led government constantly briefed Nigerians and carried all stakeholders along in our concerted effort in securing lives and property in our nation.”

Ologbondiyan therefore asked Nigerians to hold the presidency responsible for the abduction.