From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, lambasted National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, for involving the ruling party in the unending feud with Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.

APC urged Ayu, who it described him as a man “deep in quicksand swinging wildly in search of third parties to blame for the internal combustion in the party that he leads,” to carry his cross alone.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party said the meltdown in the PDP has proved intractable under his watch because of his escapist mindset.

The party queried: “How can a party that has proved incapable of governing itself seek to govern a country as important as Nigeria?

“As he struggled to deny a statement credited to him that Governor Wike could not father a child, the National Chairman of the opposition party, Ayu, alleged, ridiculously, that the APC and other mischievous people, were planting such stories in the media and stoking the feud between him and the Rivers governor.

“Understandably, Ayu is deep in quicksand and swinging wildly in search of third parties to blame for the internal combustion in the party that he leads. With such an escapist mindset, it is not difficult to see why the meltdown in the PDP has proved intractable on his watch.

“Lacking forthrightness and character to accept responsibility for the crisis in his party, how can he possibly resolve it? Unlike Ayu’s party, APC does not ‘plant stories’ and does not meddle in the internal affairs of other parties.

“That is an area of extreme and unrivalled competence of the PDP.  In any event, the PDP is unraveling unstoppably and needs no help from the outside,” APC said in the statement.

Reacting further, the ruling party wrote: “Rather than distract himself in search of an illusory scapegoat, Ayu and stakeholders of his withering PDP should concentrate on finding an anchor to slow the party’s rudderless drift.

“How can a party that has proved incapable of governing itself seek to govern a country as important as Nigeria? After 16 years of ruthless maladministration and crass failure to reform and reposition itself, quite frankly, the PDP stands morally disqualified from asking Nigerians for their votes in the next general election.

“On our part, we will remain focused in search of new and creative ways of improving the quality of life of our people, and working to convince them to renew our mandate in 2023,” the APC said.