PDP Gov: APC Turned Nigeria To World’s Poverty Capital, Ask National Assembly To Override President On Electoral Act Bill
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum on Monday took a swipe at the President Muhammadu Buhari, on the poor state of the economy.
The governors, who stated this at their meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, also urged the National Assembly to override the President’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment bill to ensure a quick passage of the bill into law.
The forum said the bill, if passed into law would guarantee credible elections in 2023, adding that early completion of the amendment process would save the nation’s electoral system.
The forum in a-nine points communique issued at the end of its meeting a regretted that the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government destroyed the over a $550bn economy handed over to it by the PDP in 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Reading the communique, the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Mr Aminu Tambuwal, lamented that the economy had worsened, adding that Jonathan had in 2015 handed over a $550 billion economy, the largest in Africa, to the APC government.
He said, “The Nigerian economy has continued to deteriorate and Nigerians have become numb and accustomed to bad economic news as exemplified by the inconsistent and differential exchange rate regime, high interest rates, unsustainable unemployment figures and borrowing spree some of which have not been applied to important projects, and other bad economic indicators. In particular, it is clear that the APC Government is a massive failure when compared with the records of the PDP in government.
“The PDP handed over a $550 billion economy (the largest in Africa), but under APC, Nigeria is the Poverty Capital of the world. In 2015, under PDP, the exchange rate was N198 per Dollar, it is now under APC almost N500 to a Dollar; In 2015, unemployment rate was 7.3% under PDP, it is now 33%, one of the highest in the world under APC; In 2015, the Pump price of Petroleum was N87 per litre, it is now N165 per litre and climbing under APC. Debt Servicing now under APC takes over 98% of the Federal budget. The tales of woe is endless.”
He said the PDP governors noted that the management of the country’s oil and gas resources, the administration of Federation Account remittances had remained opaque, confusing and non – transparent, adding that the transition to Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Ltd. under the Petroleum Industry Act had not been properly streamlined to ensure that the interests of all the tiers of Government were protected, consistent with the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The forum’s chairman called on the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency conclude its actions on the amendment of the electoral act by either overriding Buhari veto or deleting the aspect under contention to allow quick passage.
He said, “The PDP governors requested the National Assembly to quickly conclude deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill either by overriding Mr President’s veto or deleting areas of complaints.
“The meeting advised that the option of sustaining Mr President’s veto would lead to a quicker resolution and would deny Mr President the opportunity to once again truncate a reformed Electoral jurisprudence for Nigeria. An early concluded Electoral Act is vital for credible elections.”
He commended the new PDP National Working Committee for hitting the ground running with respect to repositioning the PDP into a credible vehicle for rescuing and rebuilding the nation.
Tambuwal expressed regrets that the nation was still battling insecurity after over seven years of the present administration, adding that people were being killed on a daily basis.
He lamented that the President from his comment had not shown much willingness to accept state policing, urging him to consider restructuring of the security architecture of the country.
“The meeting lamented the continued state of insecurity in the country, the persistent and ceaseless flow of Nigerians’ blood on a daily basis in many parts of Nigeria, the near collapse of the security situation in Nigeria. The strategies to confront terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminals is still a major problem of the APC administration.
“The meeting expressed regrets that Mr President is unwilling, from his recent comments discountenancing the proposals for state policing, to participate in reviewing the structural problems of tackling insecurity in Nigeria and urges Mr President to reconsider his position and consider decentralisation and restructuring of the security architecture as the most viable solution, together with proper arming, funding and training requirements for security agencies,” he said. ,,
