Edwin Clark Over-Heating the Polity With Inflammatory Comments –APC

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Monday, December 8th, 2014

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja – The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a swipe at Chief Edwin Clark, for saying that if the opposition has its way it can poison or kill President Goodluck Jonathan just to take power.

Chief Edwin Clark

The APC described such comment as absurd, incendiary and unbecoming of an elder statesman of the Chief Clark stature.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said Chief Clark’s comment, which was widely published by national newspapers, is the latest in series of provocative statements by President Jonathan’s supporters that are overheating the polity ahead of the 2015 general elections and are even threatening the peace and unity of the country.

His words:

”We have waited for several days to give Chief Clark the opportunity to deny making such a fallacious statement, but he has not done so, which means he was not misquoted and that he indeed meant what he said.

”It is time for the President himself to call his supporters to order for the sake of the peace and unity of our dear nation.

” They have been threatening fire and brimstone if the President is not re-elected in 2015, as if elections are won by threats. One has even gone as far as saying there will blood on the streets if the President is not re-elected,” it said.

APC said that Chief Clark probably mistook the party for the PDP, which has been described as the nest of killers in making his statement.

”Our party has never and will never contemplate killing or poisoning President Jonathan just to take power, as Chief Clark carelessly said. We are neither a violent nor an anarchic party.

“We do not seek power by any means other than through the ballot box. Therefore we reject, totally, the statement by Chief Clark.

”We remind Chief Clark that since President Jonathan was voted into office by Nigerians, they also reserve the right to vote him out of office.

” This is the way it is done in every true democracy, and heavens will not fall if President Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015. His supporters should put their emotions in check and stop making comments that are downright treasonable,” the party said.

“Lai bemoans the gross partisanship of the security agencies that they have turned a blind eye to all the incendiary comments being made by the President’s men.

”The security agencies, especially the police and the DSS, have busied themselves with harassing and intimidating the opposition. They have engaged in torturing innocent Nigerians for political reasons, while pretending not to know that President Jonathan’s supporters, in particular Mujaheed Asari Dokubo and Chief Clark, have been threatening the very existence of Nigeria through their capricious statements.

”Had the statements credited to these men been made by the opposition, the security agencies would have suddenly become hyperactive. They have failed to make the President’s supporters to realize that no one is above the law.”