The Peoples Democratic Party in the South West has said the Congress for Progressive Change presidential candidate in the 2011 general election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, must apologise to Nigerians, especially the Yorubas, over the violence that claimed several lives and properties in some parts of the North in the aftermath of the 2011 presidential election.
The party said since Buhari has now admitted that the PDP did not rig the election as he earlier claimed, “he must take responsibility for those Nigerians, especially the Yoruba Youth Corp members that were murdered during the violence that he incited his people to unleash on the nation.”
While speaking on Saturday in Abuja at the one-day CPC Renewal Committee Stakeholders Forum, Buhari had said moles in his party cost him the 2011 elections, regretting that intra-party squabbles that had afflicted the party in states across the country made the party to lose the election.
He said: “This problem is all over even in my state (Katsina). When we said let us forget about what we are, we all marched to vote and won all the National Assembly seats though there were court cases. Then why did we fail the governorship seat? The same factor that affected the party in other states, there was a party problem, some people were involved in anti-party activities and their children and brothers were given commissioners.”
Reacting, the PDP Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade, said it was inhuman for Buhari not to have deemed it fit and proper to seek God’s forgiveness for the post election violence.
Babade said: “Isn’t it evil that up till now, no word of sympathy from Buhari and his party for the family of the dead, especially the Youth Corpers from the Southwest?
“Instead, the vultures in the Action Congress of Nigeria are meeting with him (Buhari) on how to contest the next polls and get Yoruba votes.
“It is painful that instead of demanding explanations from Buhari on the innocent Yoruba Youth Corpers that he incited his supporters to kill, (former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed) Tinubu and his ACN are negotiating with him the 2015 elections!
“But let them know that Yorubas are waiting for both Buhari and his allies in the ACN and will surely ask them to raise the dead Youth Corpers first before campaigning for votes here.”