N22TN DEBT: Buhari, APC have ruined Nigeria —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s poor understanding of current global economic dynamics and his cover of humongous corruption in his Presidency have “completely wrecked our nation.”

The opposition party added that the development was directly responsible for the accumulated N22 trillion national debts which Nigeria is currently burdened with.

In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party argued that had President Buhari heeded wise counsel from the PDP to allow competent hands manage the nation’s economy and had he not continued to provide official cover for corruption in his Presidency, the nation would not have been in this current embarrassing economic situation.

“Since President Buhari assumed office and took control of our once robust economy, his administration has not been able to articulate any germane policy to sustain, let alone, grow the economy, but had instead, resorted to borrowing, while allowing his cronies and APC leaders to fritter away trillions of naira earned by the nation in the last three years.

“Why would the Buhari administration not accumulate debts when it has continued to cover up corrupt practices under its watch, including the alleged stealing of N9 trillion, through underhand oil contracts in the NNPC and Ministry of Petroleum Resources as well as the alleged illegal lifting of crude oil worth N1.1 trillion by 18 unregistered companies to service APC interests, among others.

“Moreover, the Buhari Presidency has refused to explain the whereabouts of trillions of naira unremitted oil revenue, resulting in the deadlock at the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

“If these monies were properly accounted for and utilized, Nigeria will not be in this dire economic situation which has brought hunger and starvation on Nigerians and rendered millions of compatriots jobless, while President Buhari and his officials live in affluence.

“We invite Nigerians to note that since President Buhari intensified his re-election bid, there have been huge dearth in investment inflow, further depreciation of the naira and a dangerous slide in the capital market, all signposting that our nation will continue to face perilous time as long as President Buhari is on the saddle with his array of persons with doubtful credentials as ministers and special advisers,” the statement read in part.

The party therefore urged President Buhari to take responsibility for the escalated debt, stop offering excuses and get ready to accept defeat and quit the stage in 2019, so that more competent Nigerians can revamp the economy on the platform of the repositioned PDP.

READ ALSO: I’ll make a better president than Buhari, I’m considering a run against him in 2019— Saraki

In another statement, the PDP insisted that it was determined to dismantling the APC rigging machinery in all future elections, saying that no threats or smear campaign will make it buckle on its resolve.

The APC had in its response to an earlier statement by the PDP that it was going to employ everything to dismantle the ruling party allege rigging machine, accused the opposition party of cloning Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to rig Osun coming governorship election and called for the probe of the party.

But replying the PDP said, “We are therefore happy that having called them out, the APC leaders, apart from admitting their guilt of electoral malfeasance, have demanded for a probe into our move to dismantle their rigging machine. We welcome this demand and further request that the probe should be done in the open, so that we can expose APC’s rigging machine for the world to see.

“Such a probe will also provide the PDP our long awaited opportunity to expose the compromised INEC officials, security agents and agencies as well as fake observers used by the APC to rig elections. The PDP will show evidence of how the APC deployed thugs to unleash violence; used security forces to intimidate, arrest and detain PDP supporters; the cancellation and alteration of results where PDP won, allocation of fake results for the APC and outright declaration of concocted results to suit the whims of APC.”

 

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