The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind the position of its governors in their altercation with the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) and the federal government over the increasing hardship in the country.
The PDP governors had warned that the situation in the country is inching towards what obtains in the economic crisis-stricken South American country of Venezuela, drawing angry reaction from both the federal government and the ruling party.
But doubling down on the governors’ position, the PDP in a statement issued on Monday by Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary, insisted that the APC and the Tinubu administration are responsible for the current biting economic hardship and surging wave of insecurity across the country.
It maintained that this is so because they are allegedly completely overwhelmed and lack the capacity and competence to lead a nation like Nigeria.
The main opposition party, therefore, slammed the APC and its federal government for attacking the PDP governors for “speaking out against the failures” of President Tinubu and the APC government “which have plunged Nigerians into excruciating suffering.”
The party stated: “By seeking to allocate President Tinubu’s statutory duties to State Governors, the APC has unambiguously admitted that it foisted on Nigerians an incompetent President who cannot guarantee security and whose administration has devastated our national economy resulting in extreme hunger, hopelessness and desperation as evident in the protests, agitation and rising spate of suicide across the country.
“Every Nigerian is lamenting the terrible situation which President Tinubu’s ill-informed and ill-implemented policies have brought upon the nation.
“President Tinubu is directly in charge of security and the national economic policies including administration of petroleum resources as Minister of Petroleum Affairs; other national revenues and cannot transfer his incompetence and failure to other tiers of government which have no control over national security, fiscal and monetary policies, which mismanagement by President Tinubu’s government has crippled our economy.
“Moreover, State Governors have no control over the pervading corruption and continuing monumental treasury-looting under President Tinubu who has failed to take concrete measures to curb the malaise.
“It is an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that instead of charging the government it formed to live up to its billings, the APC is seeking a sordid and depraved approach to divert public attention from its failures.
“From its diversionary statement, it is clear that the APC is jittery and afraid that it has been exposed following revelations and reports in the public space that its leaders are involved in multiple scams and fraudulent deals through which they continue to siphon funds meant for the wellbeing of the people resulting in the unbearable hardship being experienced by Nigerians today.
“The complicity of the APC leaders apparently informs why they have remained silent in the face of the incompetence, monumental treasury-looting and corruption in the Tinubu administration.”
The PDP counseled President Tinubu and the APC to face “their self-inflicted woes and heed the patriotic call of the PDP governors who are providing quality leadership with life-enhancing projects and programmes in their various States in line with the people-oriented manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP.”
It further said: “It is evident today across Nigeria that it is only PDP governors and other PDP elected public officials that are commissioning legacy and life-enriching projects and programmes with which they are repositioning their States and various constituencies into Oases of Development.
“Nigerians should therefore continue to hold the APC and President Tinubu solely responsible for the suffering which they face. The PDP will not hesitate to name APC leaders allegedly involved in the continuing treasury-plundering as the APC must not be allowed to ‘grab, snatch and run’ with our national patrimony at the expense of millions of our citizens.”
Meanwhile, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) has approved the delegate list for its Edo State gubernatorial primary slated for this Wednesday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set the governorship election for September 21, 2024.
The PDP NWC also approved the Lawn Tennis Court of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City as the venue for the conduct of the primary.
The party leadership charged all delegates, aspirants, leaders, critical stakeholders, members of the party and the public to note the official date and venue and be guided accordingly.
