By Jerry Emmanson, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), has been cautioned against heating up the polity and politicising national security even as it has assumed the position of the major opposition party in the country.
This warning which was given by the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency ( CESJET ), is coming at the backdrop of criticism against the appointment of a new Director General for the State Security Services, Lawal Daura, whose appointment has been severally criticised by the opposition PDP as being sectional.
In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Comrade Agbese Philip for the Centre, the group condemned all recent attacks by the party on the president over key appointments, terming them unjustifiable.
It further accused the PDP of being responsible for the politicising the nation’s security while it held sway and so warned that Nigerians were no longer ready to take any further unnecessary bashing of strategic institutions anymore.
” We consider the recent attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari by the former ruling party over some key appointments as highly uncharitable, uninformed and alarming considering the brazen impunity that was used by former President Jonathan to appoint his cronies and family members into sensitive positions without any challenge from his party men who today pretend to be patriotic.” It read in part.
The Centre while cautioning that “there is no Nigerian that has no sympathy or love for one political party or the other and such right is fundamental to every citizen. Nigerians and all political actors should spare the Department of State Security of partisan politics and affiliations in order for them to work for overall interest of the nation without political party colouration”.
Meanwhile the Centre has also called on the presidency to ignore all distractions from the PDP and all naysayers of his administration but continue to be mindful of professionalism and nationalism in his appointment of key officials especially those of security and anti-corruption as these are the fundamental tenents of his administration’s policies.