From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP has condemned the approach to sharing palliatives by the state government.
The PDP says the policy of the All Progressives Congress, APC in sharing the palliative is discriminatory and exclusionary.
The party made this know in a statement by its state publicity secretary, Mike Ojisi and called for an immediate retraction of this policy.
The party also demanded a more inclusive approach that recognizes the diverse political affiliations in the state.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Cross River State, strongly condemn the APC-led government’s discriminatory and exclusionary approach to palliative sharing.
“This blatant victimization is a clear indication of the government’s disregard for non-
partisan administration of citizens in a democracy and the principles of justice, fairness and equity.
“The government’s actions are a betrayal of the trust placed in them by the people, a
stark reminder of their intolerance for opposing views.
“Most of all, its a sabotage of
President Tinubu’s good intentions to stem this social problem before it engulfs the entire
country in a conflagration that might be unpredictable.
“We demand an immediate retraction of this unjust policy and a more inclusive approach
that recognizes the diverse political affiliations and even non affiliation of our citizens”, the party said.
The PDP also cautioned the APC administration in the state saying that palliatives is an action plan that is intended
to make the effects of a problem less severe.
The party stressed that palliatives does not actually solve the problem of hardship, hunger, and high cost of commodities in the market caused by their maladministration.
The PDP also wondered why a government that is rumoured to have shared
10,000,000.00 (ten million naira) to cult groups in Calabar in the State Capital
should be discriminating against citizens on the basis of political affiliation.
The party also called on all stakeholders to join in condemning this injustice and demand a non partisan and more equitable distribution of palliatives.
The state chapter of the APC has not formally reacted the allegations by the PDP.
Recently the Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Elder James Anam confirmed receipt of food items from the Federal Government of Nigeria National Strategic Reserve.
He said the food items comprise Garri =3,384 Bags of 25kg; Rice=24,000 Bags of 25kg; Maize = 14,040 Bags of 50kg which with the approval of His Excellency was swapped for Beans (600 Bags of 100kg) and 800 Bags of 50kg Garri.