- “Nigeria under APC is witnessing violation of the Constitution, election rigging, stifling…of opposition”, Says PDP
- APC To PDP: “Stop playing politics, Nigeria is now in good hands”
By Abiola Olawale
The two leading political parties in Nigeria have once again entered into a verbal dispute as the nation commemorates its yearly Democracy Day on June 12th.
It all began when the opposition party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised concerns about the reported regression of democracy in the country under the administrations of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP asserted that Nigeria has experienced blatant violations of the Constitution, electoral fraud, suppression and control of opposition, silencing of dissenting opinions, as well as erosion of the judiciary and other democratic institutions in an attempt to transform Nigeria into a single-party state since the APC came into power in 2015.
The PDP in a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to uphold the democratic principles, legacies, and values that the late Chief MKO Abiola fought and died for.
The statement reads in part: “The party charges Nigerians to use the occasion of this year’s Democracy Day to speak against the anti-democratic tendencies of the insensitive APC, which is asphyxiating, inflicting hardship, trampling on the Will and rights of the citizens and seeking to foist a totalitarian system on our nation.
“It is distressing that our nation is observing Democracy Day under a system that relishes in brazen violation of the Constitution, election rigging, stifling and manipulation of opposition, muzzling of dissenting voices; undermining the judicial system and other democracy institutions in desperation to turn Nigeria into a one-party State.
“More disquieting is that all the progress and gains made by successive PDP administrations in entrenching democratic practice in Nigeria have been reversed by the APC administrations.”
Ologunagba stated that the PDP government, through its privatization and commercialization policy, liberalized the economy, resulting in improved fortunes for Nigerian citizens.
The statement continued: “Nigerians can recall with nostalgia the glorious days of the PDP at the return of Democracy in 1999 to 2015, which period witnessed the expansion of democracy practice and dividend; notably the conduct of free and fair elections; adherence to the Rule of Law and Principle of Separation of Powers, economic transformation resulting in Nigeria becoming a preferred foreign investment destination in the world.
“Also, the PDP Government, through its privatization and commercialization policy, liberalized the economy and the consequential improvement in the fortune of Nigeria citizens.
“Democracy is all about the supremacy of the Will of the people, the Rule of Law and the pursuit of the security and wellbeing of citizens. These ideals have been completely violated by the APC administrations, whose leaders have no respect for public opinion but delight in burdening the people through multiple taxes and looting of treasury to finance their luxury appetite while subjecting other Nigerians to a life of fear, uncertainty, despondency and abject poverty.”
Also, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said that much as democracy remains the best system of government, it has yet to deliver on its promise of prosperity and liberty to Nigerians especially in the past 9 years.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said: “Our democracy is not yet virile if it continually fails to deliver the promises of prosperity and liberty to the people.
“However, the past nine years have thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people.
“Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.
Reacting to these allegations, the APC dismissed the statement of the PDP, urging the opposition party to stop playing politics with Nigerians.
The party also faulted the PDP for blaming Tinubu for the current economic hardship facing Nigerians.
APC said if anyone is to be blamed for the economic crisis in Nigeria, it is the PDP and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The APC National Director, Bala Ibrahim, also emphasized the crucial need for reforms such as the elimination of fuel subsidies and the adoption of a floating naira exchange rate to prevent the country from experiencing a complete economic collapse.
Ibrahim stated that it is no secret that both the President and the late hero of democracy, Chief MKO Abiola share a lot in common in terms of ideology and democratic values.
He said: “With due respect, I think Atiku is being economical with the truth. He started well by praising the front runners. But he is not sincere in the sense that the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu can be likened to the ambition of Chief MKO Abiola. This is a government that has come to actualize the ambition of Abiola.
“Virtually what the government is doing is more or less using the blueprint Abiola would have used to govern Nigeria. And it is doing so with the aim and objective of uniting Nigeria and making the country be governed according to the tenets of democracy as envisaged by Abiola.
“So for Atiku to be apportioning blame on the government of Tinubu and accusing it of visiting poverty in Nigeria, I think he is being economic. He is playing politics with the truth, which is unfair. Atiku and the PDP should carry the bulk of the blame. The ambition of PDP is the reverse of what the late MKO Abiola stands for, which is virtually an anti-people programme. Atiku is only playing politics and playing it wrongly.
“Nigerians are in safe hands, especially with the change that is supposed to bring reform in governance, economy, and institutions and get those things done overnight. It will take time. It is like a fracture or dislocation.
“It takes time to fix and while you are fixing it there are pains and anguish on the people. But at the end of the day, there is going to be ovation all the way, which is what Tinubu is going to bring to Nigeria.”
