Buhari, APC Have Set Nigeria 60 Years Backward – PDP

The opposition PDP yesterday said its review of the five-year administration of President Buhari and the ruling APC showed that they had taken Nigeria 60 years backward.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, added that in line with the assessments of majority of Nigerians, “Our party views the last five years of Buhari administration as wasteful and could at the best be described as the season of the locusts.”

The PDP lamented that the Buhari-led APC government had turned the nation into a wasteland, devastated her economy, shattered the national dreams, crushed the hope of citizens and set the country backward.

he PDP further stated that the APC administration had reversed all the gains achieved by the PDP for which May 29 was always celebrated and left the country dejected and despondent.

According to the PDP, “Under President Buhari, May 29 has become a day of grieving for Nigerians; a day for commemoration of failed promises, reversal of gains achieved by past leaders and retrogression in our body polity as a nation.

“This administration has failed woefully in its three major governance planks of provision of security, economic recovery and fight against corruption.”

The PDP said that in the last five years, the APC administration had done nothing but drive the nation along the precipices; reneged on all its campaign promises, ruined the productive sector, frustrated the farmers, manufacturers and small scale entrepreneurs, devalued the Naira, wrecked employment opportunities for the youth, turned the once prosperous nation into the poverty capital of the world, while accumulating huge foreign debts for this and future generation.

Under five years, it claimed, “President Buhari has borrowed from every corner of the world. These include external borrowing of $10.72 billion (N4.1 trillion) in 2015; $11.41 billion (N4.4 trillion) in 2016; $18.91 billion (N7.3 trillion) in 2017; $25.27 billion (N9.8 trillion) in 2018; $27.68 billion (N10.7 trillion) in 2019; as well as 2020 loans of $3.4 billion (N1.3 trillion) from IMF; $4.4 million (N1.594 billion) internal borrowing; $22.7 billion (N8.8 trillion) external loan and the recently yet to be approved $5.513 billion (N2.1 trillion) waiting before the National Assembly.”

According to the PDP, “Under the APC administration, insurgents, marauders and bandits, who have been pushed to the fringes under the PDP, have resurged and are now having field day ravaging communities and killing our compatriots while government continue in its lip service and empty condolence messages.”

The party said that it was distressing that “instead of heeding wise counsel to accept failure and avoid making false performance claims, the Buhari Presidency just yesterday, released a list of recycled fictitious achievements, including very insensitive claim of having routed out bandits; even as marauders were pillaging communities and killing our compatriots in Sokoto and in other states, particularly in the Northwest.”

Ologbondiyan said, “Our party once again asks President Buhari to wake up to the reality, accept failure and seek help since it has become clear that his administration, as presently constituted, has devastated our nation and is leading us on a journey to nowhere.”