The Presidency has chastised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for exhibiting what it described as a lack of understanding of presidential movement schedules, despite running the Federal Government for 16 years under the current civilian dispensation.
The chastisement was in response to the opposition party’s criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to keep a date with his scheduled visit to Zamfara State last Thursday, following bad weather.
PDP had criticized the cancellation of the Zamfara visit, despite the explanation by the Presidency on why it was not practicable, implying that the President chickened out for security reasons.
They also said President Buhari could have travelled by road for the visit.
But a statement released yesterday in Abuja by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, partly reads: “Criticism of the President, in particular the one by the opposition PDP, for not proceeding with the journey, Sokoto-Gusau by road, a distance of about 200 kilometres, shows either a lack of understanding of presidential movements, especially for a party that held that office for 16 years, or an act that smacks of mischief. Whatever be the case, there must be a limit to trivialisation.
“All over the world, Commanders-in-Chief, serving or even those that have left office, cannot hop into a car and go anywhere they want, at any time of the day. In the United States, for instance, a law going as far back as 1958, prevents past Presidents from travelling on public roads without assured security (how much more of serving Presidents).
“When roads are closed for presidential movements here and elsewhere, consideration is also given for the safety of other road users, not just that of the President or even a governor.
“The statement on the issue by the PDP attacking the President for not making it to Gusau without this being planned ahead of the journey is shameful for a party that held the presidency of the country in the past. What is their record?
“It is sad for the country that the bankruptcy of issues has forced the PDP, so-called leading opposition party, to hang on to life by only telling lies. And their caravan of falsehood has moved even more speedily following the inauguration of their not-so-new national executive at the end of last year.”
