September 30, 2018
Press Statement
Independence: Buhari’s Administration Reminiscent of Colonial Rule – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration has no rectitude to preside over the nation’s
Independence Anniversary as its insensitivity, impunity and oppressive
proclivities are reminiscent of colonial rule.
PDP notes that instead of celebrating this year’s independence
celebration, Nigerians are mourning under President Buhari as his
administration has, in the last three years, turned our nation into an
impoverished colony where apparatus of state power has become instrument
of oppression against the people.
The Buhari administration came into power on the premise of fake
promises, lies and propaganda, which it has to sustain by using
falsehood, intimidation and foisting of siege mentality on the
citizenry.
Under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) regime, our
nation’s constitution has become technically suspended. Governance has
reverted to oppression. Our democratic institutions, particularly the
National Assembly and the Judiciary, have come under siege; there is
total disregard for justice and constitutionally guaranteed personal
freedom. There is fear everywhere!
Today, the world is particularly alarmed by the documented cases of
human rights violations, executive high-handedness, arbitrary and
extra-judicial executions, violence and bloodletting, unlawful arrests
and detentions, torture, reported disappearances, restriction of free
speech and press freedom, disobedience to court judgment and rigging of
elections among others, as detailed in the reports by the United States
Department of States, Amnesty International (AI) and Transparency
International (TI).
Due to the incompetence of the President Buhari’s administration leading
to its inability to design a clear-cut economic policy direction, our
once robust economy has been plunged into recession; hunger, starvation
and strange diseases have so ravaged our nation that compatriots now
consider slavery and suicide mission as option for survival.
The Buhari administration have completely demarketed our nation;
industries are collapsing in their numbers; local and Foreign Direct
Investments have shrunken with over 30 million job losses in three
years. Our naira has fallen from N165/1USD in 2015 to N360 to 1USD; cost
of fuel has been hiked from N87 per liter to N145. Prices of staple food
and essential commodities have soared beyond the reach of Nigerians and
there is no hope in sight under the APC.
Instead of building on the gains bequeathed by the PDP and properly
harnessing our resources for economic growth, the Buhari administration
resorted to borrowing and returned our beloved country to a debtor
nation with over N22.4 trillion ($73.21 billion) debt burden.
The war against corruption is nothing but a witch-hunt against
opposition members and perceived opponents of the Buhari administration,
while members of the Presidency cabal, who have been indicted for
frittering away over N10 trillion from our national coffers, enjoy
Presidential cover.
The PDP therefore holds that the Buhari-led administration lacks the
rectitude to preside over our Independence Anniversary. Moreover,
Nigerians are aware that its address will be full of fake achievement
indices and false promises.
If anything, this administration now bears the stamp of deceit,
incompetence and failure, for which Nigerians have resolved to vote it
out in the 2019 general elections.
The PDP however urges Nigerians not to despair but continue to support
one another and remain steadfast on the platform of the repositioned PDP
to return our nation to the path of good governance, come 2019.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
