The All Progressives Congress (APC) is not taking kindly to ruling Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP's) description of its road map as 'Janjaweed Ideology'.

A statement by its spokesperson, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, said the description painted the party members as religious militia operating as Islamists.

It accused PDP of sustained campaign to cast APC as a party of Muslim fundamentalists, instead of engaging in issues raised in the road map.

APC added that PDP had been unrelenting in engaging in alleged 'Islamophobia' by using the Boko Haram crisis in a part of the country to stereotype Muslims and paint them as terrorists, even when it was obvious that the majority of Muslims did not support the crimes being perpetrated by the sect.

The party wondered why the PDP, in reacting to the APC's road map, would be making an allusion to the despicable Janjaweed militia which was wreaking havoc in Sudan's Western Darfur region, saying this was nothing short of religious escapism and a dangerous attempt to whip up religious sentiments against people of a certain faith.

''The only reason that the PDP used the word 'Janjaweed' is because the militia that goes by that name comprises mostly, if not exclusively, of people of Arab/Muslim stock in Sudan.

''This has further confirmed our fears that there is a clear attempt by the PDP, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, to divide Nigerians along religious lines as never before in the history of our country and to use religion as a political tool - a very dangerous move that can only result in religious warfare, from which no country that engages in it has ever survived intact.

''Or how else can one explain the continuous attempt by the PDP despite warnings from right-thinking people and groups to cast people of a certain faith, who constitute half of our country's population, as either terrorists or terror sympathisers/sponsors, or to label the APC as an Islamic party just to hang it? Couldn't the PDP have criticised our road map without resorting to its well-worn, dangerous game of religious blackmail?'' APC queried.

The party said while it had been restrained all along by not responding in kind to PDP's blackmail, it was not unaware of the dictum that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth.

''Perhaps the PDP has mistaken our decision to take the high road and avoid religious and ethnic politics as a sign that it (PDP) is succeeding in its religious blackmail. Therefore, we have decided to let Nigerians know that the sooner they repudiate this dangerous tactics by the PDP, the safer for our country.

''We are a party for all Nigerians, and we believe in issues-based politics, not one based on religious or ethnic sentiments.

"We believe God is neither Christian nor Muslim, and that he is the God of all, irrespective of their religion," the party said.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) however, insisted on Sunday that it stood by its statement that the APC is pursuing a Janjaweed ideology, adding that the road map unveiled by the opposition party last week was"a road map to perdition."

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Sunday, blasted the APC for alleging that the party engaged in Islamaphobia in its earlier statement where it described the APC ideology as a Janjaweed product.

The PDP maintained that the ideology of APC is the same as the Janjaweed as well as the Anti-Balaka and the Seleka of the Central African Republic whose ideology is completely anarchist.

The ruling party insisted that it would be out of place for anybody to associate APC with Islam or any other religion for that matter, adding that no religion encourages the promotion of violence, greed, destruction and lust for power which are the trademarks of the APC.

Charging the APC to stop the heinous attempt at hiding under Islam to curry public sympathy, the PDP said the APC had since shown that it was a party that had no respect for Islam, adding that no true Muslim would identify with a party made up of anarchists bound together by the lust to power and desperation to rule by any means including shedding of blood.

Stating that the PDP has more committed Muslims, and who were worshipping Allah in truth more than the APC, the statement noted that the PDP is led by a very dedicated muslim as National Chairman and who replaced another prominent Muslim National Chairman.

The party went ahead to state that it had responsible and committed Muslims as ministers, state governors, legislators and its leaders in the national, state, local government and ward levels across the country.

The PDP noted that in working to ensure that they make the country ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan, the APC had shown that they did not believe the truth in the Quoran that power belongs only to Allah and that, in His infinite grace and wisdom, He gives power to anybody he chooses.

On the road map unveiled by the APC, the PDP insisted that it was not worth discussing, as it was evidently rushed out without proper homework. The ruling party described the document as wishy-washy, lacking in depth and character and failed to address any issue.

It said the APC should desist from deceiving the people with empty promises as contained in some of the items in the road map. It pointed out that while the road map promised free education, students in Lagos State had been on the streets protesting imposition of high school fees by the state where the people were also groaning under the burden of heavy taxes to finance the wasteful lifestyle of APC leaders.

The PDP added that it was most curious that the APC with 16 states under their control had not been able to implement any of its Janjaweed ideology as state governments were constitutionally empowered to attempt implementation of almost all the seven cardinal programmes launched by APC.

The party ended by stating that the"APC actually launched 7(seven) cardinal SINS against the national interest namely; 1. Deceit and propaganda, 2. Violence and destruction. 3. Lust for power. 4. Greed for money and insatiable acquisition of wealth. 5. Multiple and over-taxation. 6. Promotion of religious/tribal divisions and 7. Lack of respect for democratic tenets and principles."