Access Bank PLC
POLITICS

You Fooled Nigerians With Empty Promises -PDP Tells Buhari

First Bank Nigeria

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tuesday hit hard on President Muhammadu Buhari, describing as diversionary and pre-emptive, what it called its excuses for failure in delivering on its campaign promises to Nigerians.

The PDP wondered why 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.

Buhari had in a statement on Monday informed Nigerians that he met virtually empty treasury and huge debt, adding they should therefore not expect much from his 100 days in office.

But, in a swift reaction by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday, said the party notes with dismay, Buhari’s statement insisting that the APC is really not prepared for good governance, but rather fooled Nigerians with its campaign promises.

“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 pretences,” PDP said in a statement.

Adding: “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.

“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, 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.”

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button