‘Necessary evil’ comment: PDP asks Buhari to apologise to FCT residents

By Yemi Itodo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to apologise to the residents of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for branding them ‘necessary evil’ because they did not vote for him in the February 23 Presidential election.
Buhari had, during the Sallah visit of some stakeholders from FCT on Tuesday,  described Abuja residents as ” necessary evil”, saying, though they didn’t vote for him, he would do his best to protect them.
But the PDP, which got the chunk of the presidential votes in FCT in February, felt the statement of Buhari was “un-presidential” and “divisive” in nature.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, at a press briefing on Wednesday, said the President must apologize to FCT residents.
“The party notes that such resort to branding of Nigerians for rightly exercising their rights is completely unpresidential and must be condemned by all.
“The PDP laments that the statement of Mr. President was inciting, divisive and capable of demonizing innocent compatriots and setting them up for victimization by overzealous agencies.
“Moreover, President Buhari should note that he was not only rejected by FCT residents but also by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the states of the federation, who voted massively for the PDP, only for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to subvert the will of the people in his favour; consequent upon which our party and presidential candidate have headed for the retrieval of this stolen mandate at the tribunal.
“Furthermore, the PDP criticized President Buhari for stating that ‘to make FCT secure is to make myself secure and the Vice President’.
“The party holds that it is the duty of the President to provide security for all parts of the country, irrespective of where he and the Vice President reside or how Nigerians cast their votes.
“The PDP maintains that the security of lives of all Nigerians, ought to have been paramount to the President and not determined by inessential factors, if indeed he has the interest of the people at heart.
“The PDP therefore calls on President Buhari to apologize to Nigerians for this divisive comment”, Mr. Ologbondiyan said.
The party also urged Nigerians to continue in their determination to retrieve the stolen Presidential mandate at the tribunal, “so as to have an administration that truly cares for the citizens, in line with the provisions of our laws”.