DSS DG: APC, PDP Brickbats Escalate
Daura
THE war of words between the All Progressives Party (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the recent appointment of Alhaji Lawal Daura as Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) is getting dirtier, with both parties trading accusations and counter accusations.
The PDP is sticking to its claim that Daura is a member of the APC, and could, therefore, not hold the sensitive office of Director General of the DSS equivalent of Nigeria’s secret police. The APC has denied this.
But the PDP, yesterday, berated the APC for sticking to its “empty denials”, despite “overwhelming evidence” that the new Director General is an APC member.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement said the desperation by the APC and its spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to suppress the truth is not only reprehensible but also symptomatic of lack of character.
“When the matter first came up, the APC spokesman hurriedly went on air on RayPower where he stated categorically to the nation that he never knew or met “the man”, and that “the man” has never had any contact or dealing whatsoever with the APC, as a party, before his appointment as DSS Director General.
“When we came up with the newspaper advertorial sponsored by the APC wherein it announced Alhaji Daura as a member of its Campaign Intelligence Committee, a very important position vested on him by virtue of his membership of the party, as well as pictures of him with other members of the committee, Lai Mohammed started singing a new tone, insulted PDP leaders as hallucinating out of poverty and asked PDP to produce Daura’s membership card and evidence of registration.
“We ask: is APC demanding that the PDP invade Daura’s house to get his personal card? Or that we should go to Daura to get the APC ward register? How on earth does the APC spokesperson want us to go and ask a man in charge of arresting and detaining people, who hold views contrary to those of his party and government, to give us his party membership card? How on earth can the PDP request and get the APC membership register in Daura’s ward? Who do Lai Mohammed and the APC think they are fooling? Nigerians?” the PDP queried.
But reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party has answered adequately and as responsibly as it can to the charges of the PDP regarding the appointment of Daura, reiterating that at no point was Daura a card-carrying member of the APC.
“We won’t descend to the gutter level of Chief Metuh. We deal with issues and not persons. We have made our point and have since moved on,” the APC spokesperson said.
Mohammed insisted that the PDP, as a party cannot provide any worthwhile opposition to the APC-led Federal Government, if its spokesman continues to issue convoluted and fustian statements, just to be in the news.
According to the APC spokesperson: ‘’The PDP’s statement is the most tortuous yet by the party and, honestly, it sounds more like a compendium of beer parlour gossips and side talks than a serious criticism of a sitting government.”
He added: “To be in opposition does not mean you have to constitute yourself to a nuisance by rushing to the press with all sorts of hot air statements. It is the quality, rather than the frequency, of your interventions that makes you relevant as an opposition in a democracy.”
‘’We can only say that we have been justified, and indeed prescient, in our earlier offer to organise a crash course for Mr. Metuh, so that he can more effectively perform his role as spokesman of the main opposition party. Those who thought we were joking with that offer can now see that indeed, Mr. Metuh is seriously in need of some form of coaching on his new role,’’ the APC said.
Mohammed flatly denied the allegation by the PDP that Daura is a card-carrying member of the APC, and challenged the PDP to publish any evidence it may have to confirm the allegation, adding: “After all, it is trite that he who alleges must prove. In the absence of that, the PDP must call another press conference to publicly apologise to all Nigerians for engaging in bareface lies.”
The PDP in its statement noted that in attempt to defend his party, Lai Mohammed either intentionally failed to tell the truth or exhibited ignorance by trying to equate the DSS with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Police Service Commission (PCC), or the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where a Democrat, Mr. Leon Panetta, was named as head by President Obama.
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9 Comments
Lai Mohammed lies as if he doesn’t believe in the existence of God. It is a pity Nigeria has a citizen like this that makes noise for others to listen.
After reading Lai Mohammed’s response in these issues, I got compelled to recall Pastor Tunde Bakare’s description of President Buhari as a good man in the midst of those I now will call “men of the usual.” Simply summarized, Pastor saw Buhari as a fish in a highly polluted water.
Notwithstanding, I will enjoin the President to always be able to muster the ability to rise above and be over these “men of the usual” in the better interest of our nation. He has done it before and he even did it recently. How do I mean ? It was widely concluded that immediately upon Jonathan’s exit, President Buhari would descend on and remove Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State. In fact, a day after Jonathan’s exit, one radio commentator was emphatic that “It is only a matter of hours before Fayose as Governor becomes history.” But what did the President do ? President Buhari merely treated Fayose as an irritant unworthy of the President’s precious time. Even though I was / am a Fayose supporter (here), I knew that it was not Fayose’s “Okada crowd” antics that saved him. I was/am not deceived. President Buhari just ignored him and moved on. For had the full amplitude of the Nigerian President’s powers descended on Fayose, he would been history by now. Second, elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, had called on President Buhari not to leave any vacuum in the management leadership of the Amnesty Programme since there still remain over N5 Billion in the Amnesty account. The next day, one Briggs, an APC man, came on A.I.T to heap insults on Chief Edwin Clark and called on Buhari to ignore Clark. But the next day also, President Buhari appointed Brig.-Gen. P.T. Boroh (retd.) as the Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme. These two scenarios demonstrate the fact that the President has the capacity to rise above the patisan and act in the overall interest of the nation.
Now, in these matters of the DSS DG and INEC Chairman, I urge that the President should apply his own method – ignoring the dubiously partisan and doing the reasonable. Yes, there is no gainsaying the fact that these two Nigerians – Mr Daura ( DG, DSS) and Mrs Zakari (INEC Acting Chairman) – are eminently qualified to hold positions of service and authority in Nigeria. But evidence available is sufficient enough to support the view and belief that both have a closeness to Mr President which will be quite discomfiting not only to “stakeholders” but to any one whose mind is open. Their present portfolios are ones that require the highest degree of impartiality not only in action but in perception. In fact, leaving them on it is to expose them to continuous embarrassment. In particular, Mrs Zakari is a highly qualified Nigerian who I will feel gratified to see serve our nation in front-line position. Since, therefore, numerous first class openings, positions, offices and opportunities abound, it will certainly elevate the integrity of our process to re-assign them to other positions of service and authority. For anyone advising the President to do otherwise, does not mean well to either the President or these two compatriots.
@okey, you started well but end up being partisan or leaning towards hear say. For instant the case of INEC acting
chairman who was nominated by the past administration precisely by president JEG as INEC commissioner and served in that capacity for some time before the coming of this dispensation is no issue even when the PDP knew of her closeness (?) to Mr. Buhari. When INEC chairman contract ends and she being the most senior staff elevated then it becomes an issue. On the other side, the similitude of the DSS DG appointment is just akin to the now chairman of the Nigeria Police service commission Mr. Mike Mbama Okiro who is a card carrying member of the PDP and
appointed as the chairman of the police force commission charge with promotion, discipline and firing of members of the force and it’s too is no issue why then will that of the DSS DG be an issue?
The facts is that the PDP has set a precedence and have no moral right to complain what so ever because what is
good for Goose should also be good to the Gander. let us be fair to all, what we need now is to be possitive and give the benefit of thought to those appointed until reason abound otherwise this is the way forward.
It appears what APC is saying, or rather what Lai Mohammed is saying is that sensitive positions are given to card-carrying and non card-carrying members alike. By merely insisting that Alhaji Daura is not a card-carrying member of the party confirms this. However, Lai and APC seem not to realize the magnitude of the credibility problem they are helping to create for President Buhari. This is the same man his superiors in the military called his stewardship to question because of what they termed his narrow mindedness coupled with unrepentant nepotism. In his current capacity as a civilian head of state, he has not demonstrated in concrete terms that he is now a changed man(as he professed during his campaign) who’s imbibed the principles of democracy. Rather he seems frustrated at not being able to churn out and rule with draconian decrees.
We may well hope that time will sort out APC and Buhari.
The PDP is full of shameless people. After looting Nigeria for 16 years, their likes would have been tied to the stake and shot if it were to be in China or other civilized nations. For PDP who ran DSS with the likes of Marylin Orgar who was fond of feeding Nigeria with lies to be criticizing Buhari for appointing Daura to clear the mess PDP put DSS into is to say the least absurd and uncivilized.
TELL THEM BRO
Abass at your level why are you ignoring the issue and start talking about looting.shameless aboki.
lai mohammed had said it all. if u dont like go to court and proove that you have basis for your allegation and concern and stop whinng like a child whose toy has been taken away from him. OR JUST SUCK IT UP
I am not expecting any commentator of Ibo extraction on this platform to say anything positive about PMB. The reasons are not far fetch, out of frustration that their hatred for PMB as exhibited by the way their voting pattern went did not yield the needed fruit for them. one thing is sure, GEJ will never, can never preside over the affairs of this nation again as the head of state. I think the Ibos should plan to throw up some body from their clime and test their popularity on the poll if it will ever be possible for them to test Aso Rock unless they throw away their divisive tendencies.
We will review and take appropriate action.