The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari’s party, to seek restitution for the misery it has caused Nigeria instead of always looking for scapegoats where none exists.
Nigerians, according to the PDP, are saddened that ‘’the incompetent, divisive, vindictive and deceitful APC’’ has allegedly reversed all the gains achieved by the PDP in a space of four years, arguing that if anything, ‘’the APC has only succeeded in bringing economic misery, escalated insecurity, piling foreign debts, dilapidated infrastructure and despondency in our country.’’
PDP took on the APC as a report from Calabar, the Cross River State capital, indicates that former aides of Governor Ben Ayade went home with their exotic official vehicles.
Apparently enraged by the development, Governor Ayade has ordered them to return the vehicles on or before this Friday or brace to face the wrath of government. Local sources say they have started to play ball.
Ayade’s Chief of Staff, Martin Orim, said in a statement ‘’all former Commissioners, Special Advisers, Special Assistants and other former appointees of the state government, including chairmen and members of commissions, boards, agencies, governing councils and Local Governments Security Council chairmen, who were issued official vehicles are hereby directed to return same to the office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor within 78 hours.
‘’The affected persons are advised to promptly comply with the directive to avoid embarrassment by law enforcement agents.’’
The PDP however, advised the APC which it described as ‘’a quick-sinking party’’ to face its self-inflicted woes instead of seeking a face-saving measure by dragging the name of the PDP into its ‘’shameless internal wrangling, bordering on the incompetence, recklessness and treasury looting by its leaders.’’
Spokesman of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement that the PDP notes that the APC, by bringing out its dirty linen to the market place, at this time, has again demonstrated its insensitivity and contempt towards the values and feelings of Nigerians.
‘’How else can it justify its choice of fouling the national space at a time compatriots are observing the blessings of Eid el fitri? It is most reprehensible that after pushing Nigerians into anguish and economic misery, the crisis-ridden APC will not allow our people to celebrate the end of Ramadan in peace’’, PDP said.
According to Ologbondiyan, ‘’it is imperative to state that the PDP, as a responsible party, will not join the APC in its shameless dance, yet, the APC must know that it must answer for its failures, depravities and unrestrained looting of our national treasury in the last four years. This is the same APC, whose National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, confirmed as a sanctuary of looters and unpatriotic people, when he declared that, once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven..
‘’It has also become clear to Nigerians that the APC is fixated on the PDP and has become feverish by the reinvention of the PDP to serve the interest of the people. This is in addition to the fact that majority of Nigerians now believe more in our party, the PDP, after seeing through the lies, deceit and failures of the APC and its government.
‘’The APC must face the truism that having divided our people, wrecked our once robust economy, returned our nation to a debtor status and brought so much misery to the extent that our compatriots now resort to suicide and slavery mission abroad as options, Nigerians cannot continue to lend it any support.
‘’The determined optimism expressed by majority of Nigerians for the retrieval of our stolen Presidential mandate at the tribunal as well as the spontaneous jubilation across the country over the victory of the PDP in state governorship elections shows that the people are eager to have the PDP back at the saddle of governance. This is because, while in office, the PDP, as a people-oriented party, remained dedicated to the wellbeing of the people.
‘’The PDP administration salvaged our nation from a pariah status, paid off our foreign debts, grew the economy to become one of the fastest growing economies on the world map, revolutionized our aviation, telecommunication, automobile, education, agriculture, sports, entertainment, health, housing, railway, power and other critical sectors of our economy for the good of the people.
‘’The PDP also strengthened our democratic institutions, created anti-graft agencies, equipped our security agencies, engendered equity and social justice, maintained a strict adherence to rule of law, respect for the rights of citizens and provided electoral reforms that guaranteed credible elections in our country.’’
