PDP To APC: Your Attempt To Politicise Hardship Has Failed
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised attempts by President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to politicise the protest by Nigerians against the current economic hardship and worsening insecurity in the country.
PDP in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, blamed the protest on what it described as President Tinubu’s thoughtless policies, which it said, are responsible for the crippling of the productive sector with a 28 percent inflation rate, devaluation of the naira from N167 to over N1,500 to a dollar, mass exodus of multinational companies from Nigeria as well as closure of millions of local businesses.
The party said it is an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians for APC to threaten Nigerians for exercising their democratic and constitutional right to protest in the face of misrule and agonising poverty in the country.
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“This approach by the APC, instead of listening to the people, is not only offensive but akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall and daring them to do their worst,” PDP stated.
According to the statement, more than 104 million Nigerians have descended into poverty level and can no longer afford their daily meals due to the high cost of living.
“Any government that has an idea of macro-economic policy management ought to have recognised that the suffocating policies of abrupt increase in the pump price of petroleum products, high cost of electricity and arbitrary floating of the naira as executed by the Tinubu administration without due considerations, would have excruciating consequences to the economy as being witnessed today.
“Today, Nigerians are resorting to suicide while thousands of our promising youths are leaving the country in droves,” the party said.
PDP noted that in the last eight years and nine months, instead of deploying the nation’s resources for the improvement of critical infrastructure and the productive sectors, Nigerians have witnessed alleged massive looting of over N20 trillion by APC leaders and its officials in government.
This, it said, includes budget padding, contract inflation, oil subsidy scams, palliative racketeering and phoney programmes, which have no benefit or consequence to the lives of the citizens.
The party recalled that Tinubu’s ministers and senior government officials were recently linked with the alleged looting of billions of naira meant to cushion the harsh economic conditions on the citizens.
“Moreover, the APC and the Tinubu administration have remained insensitive to the mass killings, kidnapping and other acts of terrorism ravaging the country without proffering any concrete action plan and policies to address this multifarious consuming carnage.
“Since President Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, no fewer than 5, 000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists apparently emboldened by the laid back attitude and body language of Mr President who has failed to show seriousness on issues of security or empathy to victims either by words or action.
“It is sad that in all of these, President Tinubu is missing in action as he holidays in France at the expense of the Nigerian treasury,” PDP said.
The party added that APC must come to terms with the fact that there is frustration in the land because of the suffocating economic and social policies; laid-back attitude to security and massive corruption in the Tinubu administration.
It stated that instead of being hypocritical by pointing fingers at the opposition, the APC should admit the failure of its policies and take urgent and concrete action to get President Tinubu to lift his knees off the neck of Nigerians so that the people can breathe.
