Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has described the repeated sentiments being played around a recent video clip by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a complete waste of time.
The PDP had in the last few days addressed several press briefings over the video clip which showed the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, chatting along a walkway in the State House with former Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole.
The PDP as well as many commentators had picked out a part where the word ‘arrest’ was mentioned and had imputed many interpretations to it.
However, a Presidency source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told State House Correspondents that the opposition party chose a wrong person, the Chief of Staff to the President, to malign, saying that the many efforts so far put into discrediting Gambari had continued to fail in the face of his solid credibility.
The source was reacting to the recent call by the PDP to the United Nation (UN), European Union (EU) and other international bodies to place visa restrictions on Gambari, Oshiomhole, and other individuals as punishment for allegedly plotting to truncate democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
He said despite the Presidency’s clarification and assurances by President Muhammadu Buhari and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure free and fair poll in the state, the PDP had to call on the international community to deny visas to members of the APC for plotting to endanger democracy and enthrone bad governance in the country.
National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, had said “we demand appropriate sanctions of the individuals involved in this anti-democratic act; they should be given visa restrictions to any democratic countries. The interest and will of the people of Edo State should be paramount in all decisions and that should guide any action either by INEC or the government.”.
But the Presidency source said the Chief of Staff was only doing his job of leading the former APC National Chairman to meet with the President and besides, Oshiomhole had repeated what he said in the video at a press briefing after meeting with the president.
Oshiomhole, while briefing journalists after meeting with President Buhari, said he came to plead with the President to ensure security for the upcoming Edo State governorship election, citing threats of violence by the opposition.