The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as evasive, diversionary
and preemptive, the present government’s pile up of excuses for possible
failure in delivering on its campaign promises to Nigerians.
The PDP said it is unfortunate that President Mohammadu Buhari and the
APC, who were privy to the nation’s dwindling economy occasioned by global
economic downturn and fall in international oil price, even before the
start of the campaigns, chose to deceive Nigerians with bogus promises,
only to now resort to excuses after using the promises to secure power at
the center.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement ,
Tuesday, said the party notes with dismay, President Buhari’s statement on
Monday that Nigerians should not expect much from his first 100 days in
office on claims that he met “virtually an empty treasury and huge debts”,
noting that such only underlines the fact that the present administration
is really not equipped to face the challenges of governance.
“While we restate our resolve to engage only in credible and issue based
opposition, we want the President and the APC to note that their plea for
patience from Nigerians does not arise, because ab-initio, there has not
been any indication that they are actually serious and determined to
deliver on their campaign promises upon which they rode to power.
“Of course Nigerians are willing to support and cooperate with the
President, but we are worried that the pictures emerging from his
presidency and his party do not in any way inspire hope in the citizenry,
especially as they have continued to show that theirs is ostensibly a
matter of obtaining power by false pretenses.
“President Buhari and the APC must know that Nigerians did not give them
the mandate to engage in frivolous excuses and pleas but to hit the ground
running with solutions and quick fixes they promised during the campaigns.
We ask, is President Buhari’s statement an admission of poor knowledge of
national and international economic affairs or does it underscore the lack
of capacity and skills by the administration to effectively harness and
galvanize resources and potential inherent in Nigeria which has already
been nurtured as Africa’s largest economy and one of the fasted growing in
the world.
“Even if Nigerians decide to wait endlessly, we wonder how much the
President can achieve amidst the flip-flops from his presidency and
cacophony of interests from his party leaders struggling to enlarge their
selfish political and economic frontiers.
“How can one reconcile President Buhari’s statement with the recent
ridiculous and misleading claim by APC’s National Publicity Secretary,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed that this administration has achieved in three weeks
what the immediate past administration did not achieve in five years?
“Since after their electoral victory, the APC and the President have
continued to expose their lack of commitment towards their campaign
promises.
“We recall that on May 5, 2015, twenty-four days before his inauguration,
President Buhari at a meeting with APC leaders in Abuja opened the excuse
galore when he expressed his nervousness to deliver in office, adducing
that ‘Rome was not built in a day’.
“We also recall that in their attempt to find an escape route in one of
their bogus campaign promises, the APC denied that the President ever
promised Nigerians that they will end insurgency two months after
inauguration but had to swallow their words after the PDP confronted them
with the April 22, 2015 CNN interview where Buhari made that promise.
“Indeed, we empathize with the President knowing that the confusion and
clear lack of direction in his party have not helped matters, but we urge
him to rise up to the challenge, take urgent steps and disentangle himself
from the selfish and unpatriotic tendencies of APC leaders, especially
given the fact that Nigerians gave him a mandate for which they will
continue to hold him accountable.
“Finally, the PDP restates that it is eager to see the APC and the
President unveil their economic roadmap and blueprint for governance so as
to enable us through robust opposition, provide credible alternatives and
options for their policies and programmes in the overall interest of our
dear nation”.