PDP, APC On Collision Course In Delta Over Closure Of Schools In Asaba During Atiku’s Visit

Ruling state political party in Delta State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the opposition party, All Progressive Congress,  APC, have disagreed over the closure of schools in Asaba, the state capital by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration during the visit of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate to the state.

APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, in a statement condemned the closure of schools within Asaba, saying the PDP was playing politics with future of pupils and students who are the future leaders.

“Most of the schools (that were closed for the event) (sic) are without desks and chairs for our future leaders to sit and learn like their counterparts in other climes”, the party claimed.

In the statement entitled, “Delta State Government Is Playing Politics With The Future Of Our Future Leaders And Deltans”, APC claims, “some of the schools, students learn in classrooms with leaking roof, adding “In some of the schools, there are no toilet facilities. Moreover, in majority of the public schools, chairs used by Teachers were/are provided by themselves from their meagre salaries”.

The APC said, “the PDP led government, now derives pleasure in closure of public schools, whenever they are to hold their dance of shame, known as political rallies in the affected school, adding,  “besides the above, yesterday, (the 31st day of January, 2019), PDP led government shamefully and brazenly directed and supervised the closure of both public and private schools in Asaba and its environs, because of pdp presidential rally that was held in Asaba”.

But reacting to the allegations, spokesman of the PDP in the state, Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza in a statement on Saturday, chided the opposition party for its scathing attack, describing APC as a party “clutching at every semblance of a floating straw to save itself from drowning in the ocean of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s avalanche of achievements in the State”.

He also flayed, “the APC for suggesting that the future of our future leaders is being threatened by the PDP, whereas the real future leaders of Nigeria have been traumatized by the flip-flopping of  the Buhari administration in the education sector, which has led to the prolonged strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, since November 4, 2018”.

Osuoza said: “We read with great humour, the alarmist tirade and bellyaching of the Delta APC as the factional Publicity Secretary, Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, laboured tediously to patch a worthless argument together in a futile attempt to rake up sentiments where none was required or solicited for.

“It is embarrassing to remind the spokesperson of Delta APC that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has designated an electoral calendar, which legitimately stipulates the necessity of campaign rallies as part of the electioneering process.

“Of course we appreciate the fact that the APC in Delta State does not understand and cannot even imagine what it means for the presidential candidate of the most powerful and populous political party in Africa to come for a presidential campaign rally in the State, given their unpopularity and incapacity to attract such an event, but suffice it to say that a responsible government, which understands the huge magnitude of this immense activity on the hitherto pristine existence of the community, will immediately take preventive measures to protect the most vulnerable segment of the society, in anticipation of the intensified movements and robust carnivalesque groundswell of human and vehicular concentration in the short period of the rally.

“To then describe the proactive decision of declaring a one day, safety conscious closure of schools, to safe guard our school children in view of the anticipated extra-ordinary activity in the community, as: “playing politics with the future of the future leaders” does not only sound foolish and nonsensical, even in its badly phrased attempt at tongue-twisting rhyme, but is a crass display of the pedestrian intelligence that defines the manner of leadership and governance the APC is promoting as credential to govern Delta State.”