APC hits back at Pat Utomi’s “shadow government” declaration

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed Professor Pat Utomi’s recent declaration of a “Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government” as an “intellectual drama” and a “desperate” attempt to garner attention.

According to Felix Morka, Esq., National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Utomi’s declaration “stands in direct contradiction and refutal of the very justification he advanced for the latest of his several ‘big bang’ things that have never materialized.”

The APC described Utomi’s claims that the current federal government is suppressing opposing views as “preposterous” and “reckless”. Morka stated, “The suggestion that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is suppressing opposing views is simply preposterous. Utomi’s unilateral declaration of a ‘shadow government’, in a presidential democracy, is, in and of itself, an exercise of democratic freedom and free speech, in the extreme.”

The party also questioned Utomi’s credibility, citing his failed bid for the Delta State APC gubernatorial ticket in 2019 and his involvement in several “dead on arrival” third-force mega opposition projects. Morka noted, “Utomi’s partisan disorientation – his failed bid for the Delta State APC gubernatorial ticket in 2019, an unfulfilled stalwart of Labour Party (LP) in Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, and his several dead on arrival ‘third force’ mega opposition gamble – has clearly taken a huge toll on the erudite Professor’s political judgment.”

The APC attributed the recent wave of defections to the party to the “rudderless leadership” of opposition parties and the “visionary and inclusive leadership” of President Bola Tinubu. Morka stated, “The wave of defections into the APC, while indicative of the rudderless leadership of opposition parties, is a clear endorsement of the visionary and inclusive leadership of President Bola Tinubu, and the massive transformation that is now underway in our country.”

The party concluded that the defectors are citizens who have chosen to participate in the country’s transformation and are committed to steering Nigeria towards stable, safer, and prosperous grounds under President Tinubu’s leadership. Morka added, “These defectors are citizens who have decided to be direct participants in the unfolding historic repositioning of our nation, who have elevated patriotism over partisanship and ready to place their hand on deck with this bold President of progress to steer the ship of the Nigerian state away from the brink to stable safer and prosperous grounds.”