The PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, noted with dismay President Buhari’s declaration on Monday that Nigerians should not expect much from his first 100 days in office as he met “virtually an empty treasury and huge debts”.
PDP said such statement from the President only underlines the fact that the present administration was 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 pretences.
“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”, the PDP stated.
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