APC knocks PDP Govs over call for Tinubu’s resignation

By Tunde Opalana, Tom Okpe

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, clashed over criticism of the policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

The PDP governors had called on President Tinubu to resign if he could not deliver on his mandate.

But the APC castigated governors of the main opposition party for daring to lampoon the President over his policies and asking him to resign.

But the leadership of the PDP rose stoutly in defence of its governors, saying their views represented the position of millions of unheard Nigerians.

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The APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Mouka, described the PDP governors as “idle, but viciously, complicit spectators.”

Morka said, “This noxious executive flippancy has now become a badge of identity for these idle, but viciously complicit spectators in the affairs of their states and citizens.”

“A federal system like ours operates on the idea of shared, constitutionally delineated responsibilities among the three tiers of government, federal, state and the local governments.

“Effective governance requires collaboration and coordination among all three levels to deliver the promise of democracy to citizens.

“By virtue of their membership of the National Economic Council and National Council of State, governors bear a solemn duty, where possible, to proffer constructive ideas or solutions to the challenges of governance of our nation.

“Like all citizens, governors are entitled to free speech. However, that right must be exercised against a standard of respectability and reasonableness.

“Reckless utterances capable of inflaming passions and social upheaval must be avoided. Likening Nigeria to Venezuela as the PDP governors did in a recent communique, even under the prevailing challenging economic and security contexts of Nigeria, is unhelpful and smacks of unrighteous indignation.

“Rather than live up to their responsibilities as chief executive officers of Nigeria’s federating units, the PDP governors have turned themselves into a band of doomsday vocalists, raising their voices to deafening decibels intended to drown the groans of their citizens battered by their critical inertia, ineptitude and dismal performance as governors of their states.

The ruling party spokesman further stressed that as the federal buck, ultimately stops at the President’s table, so the state buck, ultimately stops at the governors’ table.

“The PDP governors’ call, to the President to throw in the towel is nothing short of self-indictment. It is cringeworthy that the same governors that have never justified the massive federal allocations to their states, that have perennially, stifled and dispossessed local government administrations of federally allocated funds, are talking about ‘buck’.

“President Bola Tinubu is taking responsibility and providing solid leadership in this historic season of deep and enduring economic transformation in our country.

“The administration has initiated bold and far-reaching reforms that are indispensable to economic recovery, sustainable growth and prosperity.

“Our people are going through transient, but painful difficulties that the administration is supremely determined to mitigate as these policies begin to yield desired results.

“Nigerians deserve to live in peace and security, with access to basic social and economic amenities.

“Our party and administration urge patience during these turbulent times as our nation soars unstoppably to firmer grounds and more prosperous future”.

But the PDP leadership insisted that President Tinubu is overwhelmed and lacked capacity to lead the nation.

The party slammed the APC and the Presidency for attacking PDP governors for speaking out against what it described as the failures of President Tinubu and the APC government. The party insisted that the present administration has plunged Nigerians into excruciating suffering.

Spokesman for the PDP, Debo Ologunagba in a statement later in the day said, “Our party restates its position that the APC and the Tinubu administration are responsible for the current biting economic hardship and surging wave of insecurity across the country as they are completely overwhelmed and lack the capacity and competence to lead a nation like Nigeria.

“By seeking to allocate President Tinubu’s statutory duties to state governors, the APC has unambiguously admitted that it foisted on Nigerians an incompetent President who cannot guarantee security and whose administration has devastated our national economy resulting in extreme hunger, hopelessness and desperation as evident in the protests, agitation and rising spate of suicide across the country.

“Every Nigerian is lamenting the terrible situation which President Tinubu’s ill-informed and ill-implemented policies have brought upon the nation.

“President Tinubu is directly in charge of security and the national economic policies, including administration of petroleum resources as Minister of Petroleum Affairs; other national revenues and cannot transfer his incompetence and failure to other tiers of government which have no control over national security, fiscal and monetary policies, which mismanagement by President Tinubu’s government has crippled our economy.

“Moreover, state governors have no control over the pervading corruption and continuing monumental treasury-looting under President Tinubu who has failed to take concrete measures to curb the malaise.

“It is an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that instead of charging the government it formed to live up to its billings, the APC is seeking a sordid and depraved approach to divert public attention from its failures.

“From its diversionary statement, it is clear that the APC is jittery and afraid that it has been exposed following revelations and reports in the public space that its leaders are involved in multiple scams and fraudulent deals through which they continue to siphon funds meant for the wellbeing of the people, resulting in the unbearable hardship being experienced by Nigerians today.

“The complicity of the APC leaders apparently informs why they have remained silent in the face of the incompetence, monumental treasury-looting and corruption in the Tinubu administration.”

The opposition party counseled President Tinubu and the APC “to face their self-inflicted woes” and heed the patriotic call of the PDP governors.

The PDP called on Nigerians to continue to hold the APC and President Tinubu solely responsible for the hardship they are going through.

“The PDP will not hesitate to name APC leaders allegedly involved in the continuing treasury-plundering as the APC must not be allowed to ‘grab, snatch and run’ with our national patrimony at the expense of millions of our citizens,” the party said.