The All Progressives Congress in Lagos State has described as laughable, calls for the conduct of local government elections by the Peoples Democratic Party.
The PDP had faulted Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for failing to set a date for the conduct of local government elections, saying fear of defeat at the polls was responsible for the APC-led government’s foot-dragging on the issue.
However, the publicity secretary of Lagos APC, Joe Igbokwe on Tuesday, said that the PDP was the one that should be scared having suffered defeats in the last elections.
He said, “There is no PDP in Lagos. The PDP is dead. After losing the governorship and House of Assembly elections, do they think they could stage an upset at the local governorship election?”
In a separate statement on Monday, the Lagos APC spokesman said the PDP would lose in all the 20 local government councils and Local Council Development Areas in the state if the elections were conducted today.
He said, “We are not compelled to conduct local government elections in Lagos solely on the PDP’s desperate hope to anchor its waning hope for survival on Lagos local councils. We have been conducting local council elections as and when due since we came to power in 1999 even as most PDP-led state governments have not conducted local government elections for many years now.
“We, however, want to let the Lagos PDP know that it will never ever win a local council in Lagos for Lagosians know very well the noxious nature of PDP, which entails notorious misrule and corruption history”.
Igbokwe said the PDP had no right to criticise the APC having misruled Nigeria at the federal level for 16 years.
While reacting to claims by the PDP that Governor Ambode had achieved nothing in the last 100 days, Igbokwe said the opposition party was still suffering from the massive defeat it suffered in the last general elections, adding that the PDP should bury its head in shame instead of criticising the “commendable” efforts of the APC.
The statement read, “First 100 days are periods of planning and foundation-laying and not periods to build skyscrapers and bridges. The PDP is a party that left no achievement despite being in control of tremendous resources while in power for 16 years.
“For a party that never built a hut in 16 years in power to now mask and revel over achievements in 100 days speaks of poorly rendered humour; the type that has afflicted the PDP since May 2015.
“First 100 days are planning periods and office holders are judged by that standard and not the desperate whims of a party in disarray. Besides, Lagos PDP needs to know that Governor Ambode needs not reinvent new wheels, hence, he is continuing with the highly celebrated achievements of former Governor Babatunde Fashola”.
Reeling out Ambode’s achievements in the last 100 days, the APC spokesman said the governor had enhanced security and also embarked on several road constructions as well as created other income-generating avenues.