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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have clashed over the fate of Nigerians in the new year.
While the opposition party warned Nigerians to brace up for the worst with a claim that the President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC have laid land mines, the ruling party promised a rain of democracy dividends.
National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, in a statement, yesterday, warned that the landmines may explode at any time and charged Nigerians to brace up for the “dictatorial regime” in the new year.
The PDP chairman noted that with the Judiciary allegedly caged, the legislature ready and willing to rubber stamp whatever comes from the Executive; the media and the opposition under alleged intimidation, Nigerians should await the fang of the government .
According to him, 2020 is going to be tough with the high level of corruption already rated by experts to be worse under this administration as they continue to look away to reported cases of fraud involving high profile members of the regime.
He noted that with President Buhari’s loan request to the National Assembly scaling through without scrutiny coupled with the proposed new taxation regime, 2020 portends further hard times.
Regardless, Secondus admonished Nigerians not to be deterred by “the impunity and provocative attitude of the ruling APC whose agenda is to run a despotic regime disregarding the rule of law and tenets of democracy.”
The PDP chairman appealed to all critical stakeholders in the nation’s democracy, particularly the media and civil society groups, to “remain alert to their responsibilities and hold APC administration accountable in 2020 as its curious open visa policy has dubious political undertone.”
Secondus, while reviewing the activities of the past twelve months in the country, lamented that 2019 remains the worst year for democracy in our land.
He stated that anti-democratic forces allegedly nurtured by the APC did so much damage to the rule of law and the country’s democracy in 2019, to actualise the ruling party’s desire for a one party state.
“The use of military in election matters and intimidation and harassment of democratic institutions that was climaxed in the burning to death of Mrs Salome Acheju Abuh in Kogi last November continues to raise concern over citizens right to vote under this regime.”
We won’t let Nigerians down -APC
Contrary to PDP’s position, the APC has vowed not to let Nigerians down as it promised to deliver more dividends of democracy.
APC, in a statement by Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said government was vigorously tackling and solving the social, economic and security challenges in the country one after the other.
“With our country’s landmark return to the January-December budget cycle, a feat achieved by the APC-led National Assembly and Executive after 16 years of the PDP failure, Nigerians are assured that the ongoing massive infrastructural development covering the rail, road, agriculture, aviation, port, education and health sectors would be given further fillip.
“The President Muhammadu Buhari government is vigorously tackling and solving the social, economic and security challenges our country faces one after the other. Government’s successes in plugging revenue leakages, checking violent extremism, oil sector reforms, anti-corruption, economic diversification, curbing waste, infrastructure development among other achievements are profound testament.
“The party assures all compatriots that the faithful execution of policies and programmes of this current administration would be further intensified in this New Year.
“We acknowledge and hold dear the trust and faith Nigerians have placed in the APC-led Federal Government. We will not let Nigerians down. We urge Nigerians to also play their part by cooperating with the government to achieve its development plans for our shared progress.
“Finally, to our teeming members and supporters, our great party remains a progressive, strong, formidable and popular political unit delivering pro-people policies and repositioning our country through our elected and appointed officials at federal, state and local government levels.
“We urge our members to support and cooperate with the recently-constituted National Reconciliation Committee which is empowered to address grievances of party members and resolve existing conflicts, all with a view to fostering unity and oneness within the party across the country.”
It’ll usher in robust peace, economic growth
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has also assured 2020 will usher in robust peace and economic growth.
“I have no doubt in my mind that with the timely passage of the budget, restoration of the January to December financial year and other amendments recently made to our laws by the ninth National Assembly, the economy will enjoy significant growth in the new year,” Lawan said.
Lawan said the National Assembly will endeavour to sustain the harmonious working relationship with other arms of government for the smooth administration of the country and benefit of the people.
Time to work for better future – Atiku
Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described 2019 as a bad year for Nigerians and called for a deliberate effort to improve the material wellbeing of the people, by lifting millions of Nigerians out of the extreme poverty to prosperity in 2020.
His statement read: “I do not share the sentiment when some people claim that the outgone 2019 was a successful year for Nigerians. Such sentiments is reductionist and does the harm of making us have a false sense of victory.
“The bitter truth is that Nigeria is still in the throes of economic instability, with more people losing jobs and the attendant outcome of more children being out of school and more families having hard time in accessing basic needs of life.
In this New Year, however, I will rather ask that Nigerians stand together with renewed vigour and determination to battle the hydra-headed demon of insecurity that has plagued us in the past decade.
“We must challenge the inadequacies that made us become the global headquarters of extreme poverty; much as we must work hard and fast enough to eliminate the scourge of out-of-school children in the country. These are the challenges that this new decade has thrown at us and we cannot afford to slumber and submit to defeat.
The problems of extreme poverty and scant investments in education play huge roles in fueling the problems of violent extremism that we spent the past decade contending with. We cannot win the fight against terrorism if we do nothing to reduce or eliminate poverty and illiteracy….It is incumbent on government at all levels to pursue policies that will provide decent housing to the mass majority; put food on the table; provide healthcare and education. We cannot continue to do things the same way and expect a different outcome. It is therefore high time we caused a rejig of economic policies that will promote an expansion of the economy and create jobs opportunities aplenty.
“At the individual level, this moment calls for more empathy and sacrifice. The New Year and a new decade come with the opportunity to make better impressions in our lives and in the lives of people around us.
“I wish to restate that our collective call for rule of law and our history about the struggle for democratic rule did not envisage a situation where judicial pronouncements would be worth less than the paper upon which they are rendered.
It is a bad advertisement for the country and its democracy if declarations made by the court are not respected without the executive arm of government agreeing to same. Any democracy is not worth the appellation if the principle of separation of power is not ingrained in it. In the new year, government should not pretend to be democratic, but rather act according to the fundamentals of a democracy.”
Obi: Time to refocus Nigeria
Former Anambra governor, Mr. Peter Obi urged Nigerians to use 2020 as a springboard to work towards recovering and refocusing the country to find its bearing in the comity of nations.
In a new year message issued by his Media Office, he said God had destined Nigeria to be a great people and a great nation but through its leadership failure over the years the nation was not where it should be.
He urged the political leaders in the country to refocus their economic policies for growth and development, especially in education and job creation through small and medium-sized enterprises.
Lalong: Forgive, reconcile, exhibits brotherhood
Plateau Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, has urged Plateau people to continue to pray for enduring peace and embrace one another in the spirit of forgiveness, reconciliation and brotherhood in the year 2020.
He noted the year provides prospects and hope for accelerated development as his administration settles down to pursue its 3-point policy thrust that will consolidate on its past efforts.
“2020 will be quite eventful as we put behind us the distractions of elections litigation and focus on delivering on the dividends of democracy to our people especially in completing the legacy projects we have initiated in all parts of the State. We shall commission many of them and also ensure that others are given the desired attention.”
Ekweremadu harps on electoral reforms
Former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, also stressed the need to prioritise the reform of the nation’s electoral processes in the year 2020.
“The failure to sign into law the Electoral Act Amendment ahead of the 2019 general elections to mainstream the Smart Card Reader, electronic voter accreditation, electronic transmission of voter accreditation, electronic voting, video inspection of electoral materials, among others, into our electoral system was particularly a huge setback for the country.
“However, I believe that there would be less partisan interference and considerations if the current reforms are concluded long before the elections to restore public confidence in our electoral process, once again, and improve our democracy and governance.”
We must put Nigeria first -Mrs. Tinubu
A few years ago, the ‘vision 2020’ seemed a long time away. That we are here already is proof that time waits for no one.
Beyond, the start of a New Year, it is a chance to make profound changes. This New Year is pregnant with possibilities, and if maximised, is a New Dawn for us as individuals and collectively as a Nation.
We must go into the New Year with a new perspective to life in general and the issues that concern Nigeria. In addition, we must exhibit a renewed patriotism and commitment to seeing Nigeria thrive and prosper.
We must also commit to sanitising the image of Nigeria and Nigerians in the comity of nations by ensuring that each of us is doing everything to project the right image of us as a nation.
Beyond these, we must set our hands on the plough, doing as opposed to merely talking. We must, as J.F Kennedy succinctly put it, ask what we can do for Nigeria and actually do it.
