The ruling All Progressives Congress has faulted the People’s Democratic Party’s critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s New Year Message.
The main opposition party in its Monday appraisal of the national broadcast of President Tinubu had dismissed it as cold, bereft of assurance on the socio-economic challenges facing Nigerians.
The PDP in its damning verdict claimed it fell short of public expectations.
The APC in its response on Tuesday accused the PDP of a ” haughty display of ignorance of essential social and economic policy or willful blindness to the administration’s bold and courageous efforts to raise the bar for sustainable growth and development of our country. “
Felix Morka, APC National Publicity Secretary in a statement on Tuesday listed the concerns raised by Tinubu in his broadcast on pressing issues of “fixing power and energy challenges, locally refining petroleum products, crashing prices of products, creating jobs, enabling a more favourable business environment, tackling insecurity, expanding food security and affordability, implementing new minimum wage for workers, and more.”
Morka further urged “Nigerians to stand fast with the APC administration of President Tinubu as he delivers on his electoral promise to secure improved living conditions for all. “
The statement reads in part: “The statement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of January 1, 2024, waving off President Bola Tinubu’s New Year message is a testament to the party’s incapacity to serve as a sensible or credible opposition party. If the status of the opposition party were a contested one, the PDP would still miserably fail to pass muster.
“Democratic opposition politics is not exactly about being a masterclass of incivility or casting crude aspersions without justification. It is also not about a haughty display of ignorance of essential social and economic policy or willful blindness to the administration’s bold and courageous efforts to raise the bar for sustainable growth and development of our country. PDP’s nagging irrationality is a blight on our democracy.
“Both in tone and substance, President Tinubu’s New Year address was measured, sensitive, articulate, highly presidential and an excellent fit for the purpose and occasion it was delivered. A New Year speech of any President is a goodwill message to the nation in celebration of the new year. It is a moment for tone-setting of expectations for the year ahead. It is not a policy speech delivered to a think tank. Even that basic understanding of the nature of a New Year speech stands elusive to highly deluded PDP.
“The President was forthright in his acknowledgement of the transient tough impact that some of the administration’s policies have had on citizens, just as he was categorical in expression of commitment to do everything under the power of his office to tackle prevailing challenges and secure a safer and stronger country for the benefit of all. The President addressed Nigerians with candour, sensitivity and attentiveness of a kind unknown to the PDP in its 16 years of reckless, and never again, rule.
“The President’s New Year message struck the right chord with Nigerians, assuring of the administration’s commitment to fixing power and energy challenges, locally refining petroleum products, crashing prices of products, creating jobs, enabling a more favourable business environment, tackling insecurity, expanding food security and affordability, implementing new minimum wage for workers, and more. Signing the 2024 budget into law on New Year’s Day is further evidence of the President walking the talk. The President is busy doing the job he was elected to do and will not be distracted by PDP’s idle mischief.
“We urge Nigerians to stand fast with the APC administration of President Tinubu as he delivers on his electoral promise to secure improved living conditions for all.”
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