The Plateau State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has fire back at PDP by describe John Akans as someone who hides under ghostwriters to spew out shenanigans.
The Party in a Press statement made available to this medium and was signed by Hon. Sylvanus Namang, APC State Publicity Secretary stated that It is always a tragicomedy reading the uncoordinated compositions of the accidental PDP Publicity Secretary, a certain John Akans, who hides under ghostwriters to spew out his shenanigans as the pitiful mouthpiece of the Plateau PDP, a party that is only counting days to part with the Plateau people who are waiting patiently for its unceremonious exit in a matter of weeks after five months of awful performance.
Hon. Namang further stated that “while Akans dedicated most of his purported response to our well – founded complaint against security agencies’ harassment of our social media team members, he was instead misfiring from all cylinders”.
He said, in the jaundiced and better qualified for the garbage piece, the spokesman who evidently was trying to curry the favour and support of the Commissioner of Police in the state who the PDP had so much demonised and villified when he acted rightly on assumption of duty in the state by directing DPOs to open the Local Government Secretariats for elected Local Government Council Chairmen to operate, in now a desperate twist, he has pretentiously wasted time in congratulating the Commissioner of Police, as if the police is another arm of the PDP and its read as follows:
18thOctober, 2023
ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS, PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER,
KALWA HOUSE, YAKUBU GOWON WAY,
JOS.
RE: PLATEAU APC AIDING AND ABETTING CRIMINALS,CRYING WOLF WHERE NONE EXIST
It is always a tragicomedy reading the uncoordinated compositions of the accidental PDP Publicity Secretary, a certain John Akans, who hides under ghostwriters to spew out his shenanigans as the pitiful mouthpiece of the Plateau PDP, a party that is only counting days to part with the Plateau people who are waiting patiently for its unceremonious exit in a matter of weeks after five months of awful performance.
While Akans dedicated most of his purported response to our well – founded complaint against security agencies’ harassment of our social media team members, he was instead misfiring from all cylinders.
In the jaundiced and better qualified for the garbage piece, the spokesman who evidently was trying to curry the favour and support of the Commissioner of Police in the state who the PDP had so much demonised and villified when he acted rightly on assumption of duty in the state by directing DPOs to open the Local Government Secretariats for elected Local Government Council Chairmen to operate, in now a desperate twist, he has pretentiously wasted time in congratulating the Commissioner of Police, as if the police is another arm of the PDP.
The PDP in its epileptic, barren and senseless press release signed by Akans wrote thus:
“The erudite, dynamic, and proactive performing Commissioner of Police, Mr Okoro Julius Alaware, who has set the records straight on the issue of combating crime and making sure the citizens are well protected from all forms of criminality in the state, should be commended”.
He laughably continued; “As a responsible political party, we recognize and commend the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies for a good job done thus far as the state is gradually coming out of its security challenges, in stark contrast to the situation under the APC regime”.
“We congratulate the Commissioner of Police and the entire securities in the state for ensuring that Plateau citizens are well protected with sound and safe security. Given the score of challenges for policing during APC reign, the APC was expecting the gross indiscipline and unabated crimes to continue without any arrest, as it was during their administration. But with you on ground, things have changed, and indeed we are more than impressed as a party because of the improved security situation and the proactive activities of the security agencies in the state. Mr CP, not only are there more police officers patrolling the streets across the state, but the workforce is also more diverse than they have ever been and very professional in their operations so far.” wrote John Akans.
The PDP’s supposed response to the APC’s condemnation of harassment and intimidation of its members by security agencies dated 14th October, 2023 ordinarily ought not draw the ire of the PDP except for its obvious guilt of masterminding the arrest of the spouse of one of our key social media bloggers who has been very vocal in promoting the cause of our party and becoming a thorn in the flesh of the PDP. Our legitimate complaint was the obvious and civilised way to go as against the PDP’s notorious and abnoxious misbehaviour of pouring and spewing vitriolics and gutter language on constituted authorities.
For the avoidance of doubt, let it be on record that the APC in Plateau State legitimately requested the Inspector General of Police to investigate the unprovoked, unwarranted and unsubstantiated summons and invitations by some men of the force, citing an instance involving the invitation of the wife of an ardent APC supporter on the 13th of October 2023 at SIB unit of the Plateau State Police Command.
Section 35(6) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( as amended) deals with the issue of unlawful arrest and detention against the fundamental right of citizens.
While we are confident that the professionalism of the Police will not be ridiculed by the sudden praise and Greek congratulatory messages emanating from the PDP, we are relishing on the fact that the IGP is a seasoned professional who is in tune with the Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which abhors any abuse of the rule of law in all facets of governance.
Let it be known to the general public that the APC does not have criminals moreso as alleged by the PDP in the media space. The party does not begrudge the police in its responsibility of inviting whoever they have a complaint against. However, it must follow due process and the law of the land and constructive engagement.
For the avoidance of doubt, the APC will not fold its arms and watch on the sidelines unprofessional conducts by security agents to intimidate, harass, or hoodwink its Media Directorate members in a guerrilla fashion which infringes on their freedom of speech and association as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A word for the so- called Spokesman of the PDP, John Akans who is less conversant if not clueless with decent media practice and political party spokesmanship.
He should learn to refrain from insulting those he is supposed to learn the art of professional media handling and conduct from. We have tolerated for too long his signing of scripts by a band of pedestrian hired writers who care less about consequences of their actions as they have little or no stake in Plateau affairs.
The diversionary ploy of attacking the thorough- bred Spokesmen of the APC and Generation Next in the persons of Hon. Sylvanus Namang and Alhaji Shittu Bamaiyi respectively, amounts to marching the tigers tail.
He lacks wisdom and caution. If not, he should understand that these respected gentlemen who have put in over four decades in the media and public relations practice are miles ahead of him. Inasmuch as we may not solely blame him for his bad behaviour as he most atimes does not understand some of the rubbish and misdirected press releases he apends his signature on, in his Plateau factional PDP, anything goes unfortunately.
It is, indeed, funny if not hypocritical and ridiculous for this infamous and tragic spokesman of the PDP to suddenly begin to accuse the APC Spokesmen of making senseless statements when the same character has always been used as the signatory of various incendiary commentaries by the PDP.
Cases abound when Akans , though not his making, issued many slanderous, libellous and defamatory statements against the Judiciary and security agencies during and after the last General Elections.
It would, therefore, be foolhardy for any discerning mind to take John Akans serious in view of his disposition in the art of public communication and management.
The PDP should concentrate on licking its wounds of it lack of structure which it has a date with the day of reckoning based on several High Courts and Appeal Courts’ unassailable Judgments staring them on the face and should start packing out of Little Rayfield and the State House of Assembly and National Assembly respectively.
The law is the law and no amount of emotional outbursts and sentiments can salvage the terribly incurable case of the Plateau PDP in the Election Petitions Tribunals Appeal.
Signed:
Hon. Sylvanus Namang,
APC State Publicity Secretary.
