Jolted by its unedifying mirror image as lucidly presented to Nigerians by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate over the (last) weekend, the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday descended in its response, into the pit of hatred and abuses.
Tinubu’s offence was that he reminded the PDP of its 16 years of cash and carry government which left the mess that the APC government has been clearing.
Asiwaju Tinubu had queried the moral basis for PDP’s plot to return to power eight years after leaving thousands of uncompleted project and commitments in trillions of Naira.
The APC presidential candidate said a party still battling with leadership crisis and without a legacy of visionary planning has no place in Nigeria’a future.
Abandoned and uncompleted projects by the PDP administration include the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna railway and the Second Niger Bridge among others. PDP left undone railroads, roads, power and ports that signalled a prostrate economy and a socially disoriented country.
The APC presidential candidate contrasted the PDP era with seven years of the APC government and its plans for the future.
“They spent 16 years and forgot that there is a railway infrastructure that can do haulage, human carriage, animal and food carriage across the length and breadth of the country”, Tinubu said.
“They (PDP) got there and turned it to an incubator. I wonder why they still exist as a party. These are people still fighting for leadership of their party, looking for the direction of the compass. We are not equal at all; we are smarter. We know the road; let them follow.
“We are not just the ones to hurl abuses and insults at our rivals’ party. We don’t need it. We are smarter; we are brilliant; we are courageous; we are not like them,” Tinubu said.
Instead of the intensely incapacitated PDP to respond to the clear issues raised by Tinubu, the party abandoned all decorum and hurled personal abuses at him. This is usually the trademark of a party that has nothing to offer the people. No decent person expects PDP to do better though. The party and its leaders were clueless as ruling party and still rudderless in opposition.
We have had cause in the past to state our objective in the 5-month campaign leading to the 25 February, 2023 presidential election not to trade personal insults. Our party and our presidential candidate will focus on issues that are important to improving the quality of life of Nigerians.
The PDP has again demonstrated that it has nothing to offer to better the lives of our people just like it’s sordid past in government. PDP only wants to keep its floundering campaign alive by engaging in groundless muckraking.
PDP and its ever clueless leaders did more shameful things, by declaring falsely that the governing party was dead, when they know it is the party that they needed to beat to realise the inordinate ambition of their perennial candidate and perennially failed Atiku Abubakar.
PDP as a party was not satisfied with this lie as it launched a chapter from its propaganda playbook that the APC government has achieved nothing when our administration’s stellar achievements are there for even the blind to see.
Let us make it clear to the PDP: the current APC government has many achievements to be proud of unlike the PDP that squandered and plundered Nigeria’s resources and could not even deliver a simple Second Niger bridge to the people of South East, that have always delivered votes for it since 1999. To the shame of PDP and eternal credit to APC, President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the bridge this year.
Also this year, President Buhari will complete the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, abandoned for 16 years by the PDP.
Among its many laudable achievements, the current APC-led government has to its credit Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe rail network and over 13,000 kilometres of roads, including bridges at different stages of completion across the country. This contrasted with the PDP years when in its first 10 years spent N633 billion on only 4,752 kilometres of road.
The Buhari administration has completed no fewer than five airports and will take the credit for ensuring that the $17 billion Dangote refinery and petrochemical complex and the $3billion Lekki Deep Sea Port are accomplished.
President Buhari can point to unprecedented investments in agriculture through the Anchor Borrowers scheme for rice, maize, cotton and others. Under the APC-led administration, Nigeria became the biggest producer of rice in Africa and cut down Nigeria’s rice and food import bill significantly.
Nigeria remains net producer of maize, sesame, yam, millet, cashew and sorghum on the back of the life changing investments in agriculture by the Buhari administration. The APC government completed over 200 Dams and Irrigation projects to help farmers plant throughout the year. In 2021, Nigeria produced 23 million tonnes of maize according to Maize Farmers Association.
The Buhari government will be eternally remembered for its unprecedented social investment programme that has reduced poverty in the land and given hope to millions of vulnerable homes.
Do we need to remind the PDP of the shame it wore as badge of honour every Christmas during its 16 years of mis-governance when Nigerians were made to queue to buy petrol. This ugly spectacle at the pumps disappeared in the last seven years.
Doubtless, our party and candidates acknowledge the new challenges of insecurity and the economy. These are being confronted squarely by the Buhari administration.
The incoming APC government as Tinubu revealed is already strategising on how to deal with the problems, as governing is a continuum.
- Bayo Onanuga, A former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of News Agency of Nigeria, is the Director, Media & Publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
