TDF Calls PDP’s Criticism Of President Tinubu Mockery Of National Sensibility

The Democratic Front (TDF) has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) proposal of N250 per litre as a mockery of national sensibility.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group stated that the party’s proposal of N250 per litre for locally refined fuel demonstrates how far it is willing to go to play politics.

The statement read in part: “In strong terms, we condemn the statement credited to the National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Debo Ologunagba, which falsely alleges that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies are draconian and bring Nigerians to their knees.

“We consider the statement reckless, careless, and irresponsible because it mocks and insults Nigerians’ sensibilities in light of the former ruling party’s pillaging and devastation of the nation’s economy through massive embezzlement and misappropriation of national resources. The PDP’s devastation and waste built the foundation of economic woes and hardship, which the current administration is attempting to repair.

“It is critical to inform Mr. Ologunagba and his paymasters that President Tinubu’s economic reforms are not to blame for the hardships that Nigerians are experiencing, but rather the PDP’s 16 wasteful years, during which $16 billion, among other things, was squandered on elusive power supply.

“There is also the corrupt ring-fencing of several state-owned companies and investments by PDP stalwarts in a dubious privatisation exercise that inflated Nigeria’s unemployment market to an alarming level, as well as the complete neglect of critical infrastructures at the expense of productivity and economic prosperity.

“According to history, three PDP-led administrations had the advantage of selling crude oil more than any other Nigerian government at various points during the global oil boom when market prices were high and favourable.

“Unfortunately, the former ruling party did not use the enormous revenue generated by crude oil sales to alleviate poverty, invest in agriculture, or even improve the country’s infrastructure.

“For the entire 16 years that the party held the saddle of political leadership in Nigeria, state-owned refineries were in shambles and allowed to corrode under a system that reeks of pervasive corruption.

“It is public knowledge that Nigeria lost trillions of naira in a series of Turn Around Maintenances (TAM), which were purposefully designed by the PDP to entrench the wasteful habit of importing petroleum products into Nigeria, with untold consequences for our foreign exchange earnings.”

“Nigerians have yet to learn the truth about the $ 20 billion that the NNPC failed to remit to the Central Bank of Nigeria during the previous PDP administration, a revelation that cost Sanusi Lamido Sanusi his job as Governor of the Central Bank at the time.”

“The PDP’s subsidy regime was so rife with reflating subsidy figures to consume Nigeria’s oil proceeds that the party left nearly two years of subsidy arrears unpaid.”

“The Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration eventually paid over N500 billion in fuel import subsidies to allow petroleum product supply to resume in August 2015.

“Even though the price of petroleum per litre was relatively low during the PDP administration, Nigerians were subjected to the agony of acute shortages of petroleum products throughout the period.

“The PDP’s reputation for electoral fraud and political corruption was legendary. It slowed the country’s economic growth and exposed Nigerians to the scourge of poor governance at all levels. The party is known for using the power of incumbency to rig every election for its candidates, in flagrant violation of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.

Debo Ologunagba and his PDP colleagues should be aware that these are the sole causes of Nigerians’ current hardship.

“The evolution of fuel price hikes in Nigeria since 1973 shows that the PDP era had the most consecutive hikes of ten. The same political party now has the audacity to mock the nation’s sensibility by criticising Tinubu’s administration for a market-driven increase in the pump price. This is completely unacceptable.

“What could be more laughable than the party’s recent proposal of N250 per litre of petroleum products, which exposed its hypocrisy and lack of knowledge about the country’s oil sector?”

TDF urges Nigerians to ignore the PDP and its archaic attempts to seize power at any cost.