‘No, It’s Been 2yrs of Broken Promises’

On the economy
Let’s look at the issue of the economy, first it took the APC administration a very long time to come up with its economic policy. If it took you two years to come up with an economic policy, how could you claim that you have achieved anything within that period? As far as the economy is concerned, it has been a disaster. Look at the indices: inflation quadrupled, the exchange rate sky-rocketed and industrial production declined completely.

Agriculture also declined considerably and every major sector of the economy suffered in the last two years, so much so that the standard of living of Nigerians dropped drastically that many of them are now committing suicide because of the economic hopelessness that we now found ourselves in this country. So as far as the economy is concerned, we have never had it so bad since independence. Even during the civil war, it was not as bad as this one, we were able to manage any problem that came up, the exchange rate was stable. But what has happened in the last two years, whereas we handed over to them the biggest economy in Africa, single digit inflation rate, five to six percent GDP growth rate every year. On the contrary, we now have double digit inflation rate, the economic growth has declined or is non existent, economy has been declining every quarter. So it has been a dismal performance as far as the economy is concerned. Look at the measures being adopted to solve the problem, they have resorted to borrowing thereby mortgaging the future of Nigerians and generations yet unborn. Whereas the PDP government led by General Olusegun Obasanjo was able to bring Nigeria out the debt burden some years ago, today, within this short period, Nigeria has been borrowing like mad as if that will solve the economic problem.

Now the power sector has declined and so is every other sector of the economy. For instance, in the transport sector, the only project that was commissioned by this government is the railway line from Kaduna to Abuja and that one was a project already completed by the former PDP administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. This APC government has not added one single meter of railway track. The same thing goes for the road transport sector, it has been a complete disaster, whereas, the administration of former President Jonathan expanded the road network from 5,000km to 35,000km, the government has done nothing. Even to repair the existing ones has been a disaster for them.
What is more pathetic is the issue of surging unemployment rate in the country. It has quadrupled. What you get as a result is massive crime, kidnapping and armed robbery in the country.

On Security
That takes us to the issue of security that they have been hammering on. The truth of the matter is that Boko Haram insurgency was virtually wiped out by Jonathan. Nigerians will recall six weeks to the election, the NSA Sambo Dasuki asked for six weeks postponement of the election and within this period, Boko Haram was virtually annihilated so much so that election held in virtually all local government areas in the northeast. If they had taken over the whole place as the APC will make us believe, how come that we were able to hold the elections in all the local governments? They think all us are suffering from collective amnesia. It was because when they came, they had no tact, there was lethargy, the president did not appoint any minister at all and there was no action at all; that was why Boko Haram regained territory. If the PDP had remained in government and continued with the massive attacks against Boko Haram, before December 2015, Boko Haram would have become history.

In the area of security, to make matters even worse, is the herdsmen attack which we never saw before, which began to raise its ugly heads since the APC came into power. If you talk about Boko Haram, it is confined to three states, but herdsmen are now in virtually all the states of the federation. It is also arguable whether more people have not been killed by the herdsmen than even Boko Haram. And to compound the problem of herdsmen attack is that not only did they kill the village people, they also pillage farms so much so that people could not embark on agriculture, which is the means of their livelihood. So as far as security is concerned, I will score them negative. It has also been a disaster in this area.

Anti corruption crusade
Now we go to the issue of anti corruption fight. The anti corruption fight to say the least has been a one-sided fight which has been aimed basically to harass PDP members and to subdue the opposition, there is nothing more than that. It has not been fought with sincerity, it has not been with genuineness and we have also seen that it has not been fought with openness and sincerity. With all the so-called whistleblowers, they are yet to come up with any report and they have not treated Nigerians equally before the law. It is as if some people are above the law. Some people are being investigated by the Vice President while others, people who belong to other parties, are easily arrested and handed over to the EFCC or the police to harass them and punish them. So whereas some people are being tested with kid gloves others are either being hammered with ammunition. So it has not been a fight with fairness attached to it. That is why they are not making so much head-way.

Electoral process
We (PDP) conducted an election that put an opposition into power at the centre, is that not so? We were able to conduct free and fair elections throughout our tenure, particularly in the last years of the PDP administration. But all these gains made with regards to the conduct of free and fair elections have been lost, we have inconclusive elections or one marked by terrible violence. It is now a do or die affair to try to take over our states at all costs. So it has been a complete disaster. Don’t forget that PDP introduced electronic voting into Nigeria in order to ensure that there are free and fair elections but what have we seen in the recent elections? It is either the card machines are not working or they postpone elections and manipulate it like the elections in Edo and Ondo states.

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