The Presidency has advised the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to first sack its incumbent governors and senators undergoing trials in courts just like the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in order to have a moral ground to talk on corruption.
The PDP had on Friday described the endorsement of Ize-Iyamu by President Muhammadu Buhari as an act that encouraged corruption.
The party also condemned the presentation of a flag to the APC candidate in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying it validated its position that the Buhari administration was fighting perceived opponents and not corruption.
A statement by PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “Mr. President ought to have been aware that Ize-Iyamu is standing trial over allegations of corruption, in addition to the declaration by his party’s former national chairman that the APC candidate is a treasury looter who should not be trusted with the position of the governor of Edo state.
“The presentation of the flag to a person standing trial on allegation of corruption right in the Villa has shown to the world that APC is indeed the headquarters of corruption.”
Reacting on Saturday, a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, asked the PDP to either keep quiet or withdraw the governorship nominations it gave to Ahmadu Fintiri and Bala Mohammed of Adamawa and Bauchi States respectively who were actually on bail from the criminal trial on several counts of fraud and embezzlement.