Lawrence Olaoye, Abuja 
…says dwelling on party’s internal crisis waste of time
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from the failures of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and avoid disunity, mismanagement and corruption.
This came as he said dwelling on the internal crisis of the party by the media, instead of other issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians, amounted to a total waste of time.
In a release by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, the President warned the APC members to desist from name-calling and backstabbing ahead of the oncoming March 26 Convention.
He urged them to remain steadfast and maintain its unity if the party must continue in the path of victory and its dominance at all levels throughout the country.
The President asked the members to look at the once-powerful, “main opposition” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now enfeebled and adrift and learn lessons in disunity, mismanagement and corruption.
”They failed in 16 years in power and a failure as opposition.
”“Yes, we are entitled to our own share of dissent and intra-party discord. These are common in all parties, left and right all over the world.
”But parties splintered by competing egos destine themselves to the worst possible fate,” the President warned.
”As the country prepares for the long run up to the 2023 presidential election, we all expect a robust debate on the issues that matter and what is going in the APC should be a reflection of this, not the infighting we are seeing. There must be no more distractions ahead of the convention to choose new leaders.”
While recalling that the APC started out with a confidence of victory with the party today enjoying that confidence in nearly two-thirds of our 36 states, Buhari notes that the party that has been in existence barely for eight years, becoming the dominant party because it has thrown open its doors to defectors from other parties, big and small.