The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to be steadfast and not lose hope in the country due to “the misrule of the vicious and corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
The party said in its Independence Day anniversary message to Nigerians that the leadership of the ruling party “would soon come to an end,”.
According to the message released by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said Nigerians are celebrating yet another Independence Anniversary under palpable bondage and the harrowing stranglehold of the “suppressive, coldhearted, insensitive and inhumane APC which relishes in inflicting pain and anguish on the citizens,”.
It noted that in the last seven years the APC has foisted and supervised a “reign of terror and subjected Nigerians to the worst form of suppression that has turned a once cheerful and prosperous nation into the poverty capital and the third worst governed country of the world.
“In the last seven years, the APC has balkanized and dislocated the unity of our country, promoted mutual distrust among the once happy and harmonious people, created a mass of internally displaced persons; the worst since the Civil War in our country,” the statement said.
The major opposition party added that “Since 2015, when the corrupt and treasury-looting APC, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) fraudulently crept into our nation’s political landscape, Nigerians have witnessed life-discounting experiences with hyper-inflation, escalated unemployment, the collapse of the nation’s currency and economic meltdown arising from poor and uncoordinated fiscal and economic policies of the APC administration.
“This gloom in the state of affairs of the country is revealed by official statistics which show unprecedented 20.9% inflation rate, 30% unemployment rate, high cost of food and medication, over 20 million out of school children, the university shut down for almost a year, the collapse of the productive sector, weakened naira to abysmal N720 to a Dollar and over N40 trillion external debt without corresponding evidence in infrastructural and human capital developments in the country,” the party said.
However, it pointed out that “In spite of the above the PDP salutes the resilience of the Nigerians people in their ‘never say die’ spirit which is further emboldened in their determination to return the PDP to power in 2023.
“Our Party is mindful of the confidence Nigerians repose in the PDP and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in our mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation and return her to the path of peace, national cohesion and economic prosperity.
“The PDP, therefore, calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to use the remaining period of his administration to ensure and guarantee peaceful, free, fair and credible 2023 general elections,” the statement urged.
