The People’s Democratic Party has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to adresss issues raised by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State rather than attack him.
The opposition party, on Thursday, said that the Presidency, and not Ortom, was responsible for spreading division and hatred among Nigerians.
The Presidency had earlier accused Ortom of spreading hatred and division in the country with his utterances.
The PDP made the allegation in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, titled, ‘PDP To Buhari Presidency: You, not Ortom, is spreading division, hate’.
The party said its position is “against the backdrop of an inciting hate statement issued by the Buhari Presidency in a bitter personal attack on Governor Ortom on Wednesday, in which the Presidency made allusions to genocides in Rwanda.”
Part of the statement read, “The PDP recalls how the Buhari Presidency has been planting seeds of discord in the country with hate language, divisive tendencies and unconcealed nepotism, to the extent that our nation has become widely discussed along all fault lines.
“Nigerians have not forgotten how President Buhari, ahead of the 2011 general elections declared that “if what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.
“Moreover, Nigerians can recall how Mr. President tagged those whom he believed did not vote for him; how he described citizens as “dot in a circle,” as well as the hate language that attracted sanctions by Twitter.
”It is rather alarming that instead of taking steps to address the killings in Benue state as well as the worsening insecurity, carnages, banditry, terrorism and imminent humanitarian crisis in the country, the Buhari Presidency is thinking of Rwandan Genocide while exposing its deep-seated detestation for Governor Ortom.
“Governor Ortom is a highly principled and forthright leader, who is loved not only in Benue, but also across the nation.”
