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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has gone down in history as the worst in the annals of our national life.
The PDP after reviewing the 61 years of the nationhood, surmised that the
push by this administration to sink the nation to the precipices is evident in its daily lives; the lies, injustices, violations, state-backed violence, impunity, nepotism, treasury looting, harsh economic policies and accommodation of terrorism, but that the nation has continued to survive by the resilient spirit of Nigerians.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP posits that though the APC and its government have been pushing the nation to the brinks, Nigeria, as a nation, will never fail.
“It is painful that all the gains made by our nation since independence in 1960 and especially during the 16 years of the PDP in office, including the entrenchment of national unity and cohesiveness, freedom and personal liberty of citizens, rule of law, credible elections, justice, equity, fairness and economic progress; the very elements of an independent state, have all been reversed by the APC and the Buhari Presidency.
“The Buhari Presidency and the APC have on all fronts taken our nation back to the pre-independence days with associated bondage mentality and frustration resulting in many losing faith in the system and leaving our country in droves within the last six years.
“Is it not an irony that our nation is celebrating independence in the face of subverted elections, brazen crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices as well as other suppressive acts including the muzzling of free speech as witnessed in the ban on Twitter in Nigeria?
“Is it not also an irony that as we celebrate independence, thousands of our compatriots are falling victims to extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention in dehumanizing cells; which underscore the horrible situation under President Buhari and the APC, as even profiled by reputable international organizations including Amnesty International (AI) and US Department of State?
“How can we celebrate when the APC government has no answers to the murdering of our youths by security operatives as witnessed in the EndSARS protest killings of 2020 and, where those who demand for accountability in governance are being hounded, harassed and framed?
“Is it not painful that under President Buhari, our nation has been opened up to terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, who are wantonly killing our citizens while their known apologists are enjoying official cover with one of them even holding office as cabinet minister?”
The PDP however holds as unpardonable that President Buhari has failed to secure the nation and that in spite of the genuine suggestions by patriotic Nigerians including the PDP, his administration has remained lethargic and assuming a helpless situation.
“Nevertheless, our party celebrates our gallant troops who are making huge sacrifices to defend our nation, despite the daunting challenges they face.
“On the economy front, how can we celebrate when President Buhari and the APC have in a space of six years, wrecked our once robust economy and turned Nigeria into the poverty capital of the world, where over 82.9 million Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals.
“How can we celebrate when the APC has plunged our nation into economic slavery with over N33.1 trillion accumulated debt, a 33 percent unemployment rate, collapse of productive sectors and a weakened naira from the N167 to a dollar handed over to President Buhari in 2015 to a dismal N576 to a dollar today?
“Instead of ending its corruption and seeking ways to revamp the economy, the Buhari administration is busy doctoring the books with false indices that have no bearing of any sort to the harsh reality on the ground.
“Indeed, this is not the way to go. The incontrovertible truth is that there is no hope in sight under the APC and that is why there are no drums on the streets to celebrate Nigeria at 61.”
Meanwhile, the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians to remain united despite their current existential challenges and struggles for economic survival.
He also calls on governments at all levels to enunciate policies that will lead to improved standards of living for the average Nigerian even as he assured that the future ahead of us as a nation will be brighter and better.
In his goodwill message on the occasion of Nigeria’s 61st Independence Anniversary, the former Vice President expresses concern at the level of disunity, intolerance and bigotry in the country which results in conflicts with its attendant losses of human lives and property.
According to him, disunity doesn’t help Nigerians because it makes it impossible for them to unite for a mutually beneficial common cause.
“I believe that our common interests are greater than those things that divide us. If we spend our energies on division rather than fighting for our common interests, it would be more difficult to bring about positive change to assuage the situation”, Atiku said.
According to the former PDP presidential candidate, diversity is not a bad thing in itself, but what matters is the transformation of the diversity into strength.
He explains that when the citizens are united, they are more likely to bring about the desired change than when they are divided.
The former Vice President adds that Nigerians can defeat divide and rule politics if they are united behind their common interests.
Atiku reminds leaders at all levels of the imperative of making our democracy work for all through justice, equity, fairness and even spread of development across the country.
The Waziri Adamawa regrets that, despite our vast oil resources, extreme poverty and joblessness have remained persistent, adding that “there is no excuse that 61 years after independence, extreme poverty is still the ordinary citizen in the face.”