•Tinubu, APC politicising hardship –PDP •Stop blame games, look for solutions –LP tells APC
From Romanus Ugwu, Ndubuisi Orji and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the opposition parties of “treacherously” fueling protests in some parts of the country to undermine the Federal Government.
It claimed that in its desperation to portray the APC-led administration as under-performing, the opposition parties have resorted to instigating unsuspecting young people to protests in the streets of some major cities.
APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, urged Nigerians to be vigilant and not lend themselves to the treacherous attempt by the opposition to promote social strife by its incendiary rhetoric and manipulative plots.
The statement read: “The protests in Minna and Kano on Monday were the manifestation of this devious and unpatriotic plot. That the protests happened simultaneously in both cities is not coincidental. It bears a bold stamp of an orchestrated and coordinated effort to instigate unrest and undermine the government.
“This mercenary opposition tactic is a clear and present threat to public peace and national security. While we recognize the right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest, we urge our good people to be vigilant and not lend themselves to the treacherous attempt by the opposition to promote social strife by its incendiary rhetoric and manipulative plots.
“The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is solidly committed to doing everything in its power to mitigate the transient pains of critically important reforms that are crucial to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians. It behoves us as good citizens of our beloved country to stand fast with our government in this noble stride.
“In due time, these policy reforms will yield enduring beneficial transformation of the material conditions of life in the country. We implore Nigerians to shun the guile and unpatriotic attempt by opposition elements to destabilise the country for their own base and parochial political gains.”
•Reactions
In separate reactions, the two leading opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), told the ruling party to refrain from buck passing and deliver democracy dividends to Nigerians.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, berated President Bola Tinubu and the APC for allegedly politicising the protest by Nigerians over economic hardship and worsening insecurity.
It accused the government and the ruling party of threatening Nigerians for exercising their right to peaceful protest over economic and security challenges allegedly caused by the policies of the President Tinubu administration.
The PDP noted that it was an assault to the sensibility of the people that the APC rather than provide explanations on how the administration within nine months turned the nation’s economy upside down leading to terrifying food scarcity and catastrophic high cost of living is seeking to clampdown on the masses.
“The action of the APC in threatening Nigerians for exercising their democratic and Constitutional right to protest in the face of misrule, agonising poverty, hunger, killings and other harrowing experiences under the Tinubu administration shows that the APC is insensitive and relishes the life-discounting situation in the country.
“This approach by the APC, instead of listening to the people, is not only offensive but akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall and daring them to do their worst.
“APC is insensitive to the fact that because of its policies, more than 104 million citizens have sunk deeper into poverty; Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals with families now going to bed on empty stomach as poverty rate soars to over 46 percent.
“Any government that has an idea of macro-economic policy management ought to have recognised that the suffocating policies of abrupt increase in the pump price of petroleum products, high cost of electricity and arbitrary floating of the Naira as executed by the Tinubu administration without due considerations, would have excruciating consequences to the economy as being witnessed today.
“These thoughtless policies by President Tinubu and the APC are responsible for the crippling of the productive sector with 28 percent inflation rate, crashing of the Naira from N167 to over N1,500 to a Dollar, closure of millions of businesses and mass exodus of international companies from Nigeria resulting to a distressing 41 percent unemployment rate and unbearable pressure on millions of families across the country.
“Since President Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023 no fewer than 5,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists apparently emboldened by the laid-back attitude and body language of Mr. President who has failed to show seriousness on issues of security or empathy to victims either by words or action.
“It is sad that in all of these, President Tinubu is missing in action as he holidays in France at the expense of the Nigerian treasury.
“The APC must understand and come to terms with the fact that there is frustration in the land because of the suffocating economic and social policies; laid-back attitude to security and massive corruption in the Tinubu administration.
“Instead of being hypocritical by pointing fingers at the opposition, the APC should admit the failure of its policies and take urgent and concrete action to get President Tinubu to lift his knees off the neck of Nigerians so that the people can breathe.”
Responded to the allegations by the APC that opposition parties were behind recent protests springing up across the country against the current economic hardships, the LP, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr Obiora Ifoh, said every right thinking Nigerian knows that the ruling party was the originator and sustainer of sponsored protests.
It added that for the APC to suggest that Nigerians who were at the verge of losing it all because of bad policy decision choices of the administration were sponsored was laughable.
It advised the APC to search for solutions to nation’s piling problems rather than deploy propaganda.
“Those who took to the streets in Minna, Niger State, a state controlled by the APC went to the streets not as members of opposition parties but as citizens bearing the brunt of this administration’s ineptitude and lack of preparation for governance.
“Irrespective of party affiliations, religious and ethnic creed, we all go to the same market where the prices of goods and services have skyrocketed. Our children have had to stay home because their parents can no longer afford their school fees. Because of lack of planning, the Federal Government’ is yet to pay January salaries.
“Our advice to the APC is for it to look for solutions to Nigeria’s problems especially the economic ones it created instead of this propaganda parade. But unfortunately, you cannot give what you don’t have. Governance is not about grabbing and running away with power, it all about making judicious use of it to better the lots of the masses,” it stated.