Buhari Worst President Nigeria Ever Had- PDP Governors

The Governors’ Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party, has described President Muhammadu Buhari and his Government as the worst Nigeria has ever had.

The Forum was reacting to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu where Shehu accused PDP Governors of influencing ethnic and religious tensions  in Nigeria.

The Governors had, in earlier statement after a meeting in Abia State, strongly lamented the state of the Nigerian nation. But responding in a statement signed by the Director General of the Forum, Hon. CID Maduabum, the Forum wondered how its “pointing out the deteriorating state of affairs in Nigeria inflame ethnic and religious tensions.”

The Forum, instead alleged that: “The Buhari Presidency, by all objective accounts, is the worst in Nigeria’s history in managing our diversity. Under APC’s seven years rule, Nigerians no longer trust one another, ethnic and religious differences are not properly managed. All our fault lines are exposed and exacerbated.”

It expressed shock that Shehu praised the military’s success under the APC Government as compared to that of the PDP. “That someone in today’s Nigeria can be this tone-deaf to the cheapening of life in Nigeria under the watch of the APC, is to say the least unfortunate”, it said.

Following is the PDP Governors Forum’s response to the Presidency’s reaction to its communique from their last meeting in hosted by the Governor of Abia State.

PDP GOVERNORS’ FORUM REBUTS GARBA SHEHU’S INFANTILE RESPONSE TO PDP GOVERNORS’ FACT FILLED COMMUNIQUE

We are moved to respond to the infantile, ignorant, pedestrian, low quality, confused and rambling response of Garba Shehu, spokesman of the so-called Presidency, an amorphous entity, to the fact-filled patriotic, well thought out chronicle of the dire living conditions of Nigerians by the PDP Governors in their communiqué of March 23, 2022, for the need to set the records straight.

2. Garba Shehu described the communiqué as a fantasy, delusional and fictional. He even derided Nigerian armed forces as “phantom soldiers”. Perhaps he was dazed by the sheer assemblage of facts, figures and evidence on the existential threat Nigeria is facing as a result of the APC misrule, with respect to the economy, security, stealing of Nigeria’s crude, etc. as contained in the communiqué.

It was John Adams who said that “facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

The communiqué merely stated the facts.

3. The PDP Governors communiqué made a comparative sketch of Nigeria of 2015 under PDP and Nigeria of 2022 under APC. The communiqué reeled out the fact that in almost all sectors, things have gotten worse by over 1000%. This is reflected in prices of basic foodstuffs, unemployment rate, electricity prices, kerosene, diesel, fuel, aviation fuel and air ticket prices which have all gone through the roof. It reeled out figures on poverty, inflation, exchange rate, debt accumulation and corruption.

Indeed, all aspects of life in Nigeria are being systematically destroyed by the APC administration. Life has become short, brutish and valueless in Buhari’s Nigeria as insecurity ravages the land. But this is not the problem of Garba shehu, who is enveloped in the Presidential Villa, totally oblivious of the suffering and agony Nigerians are facing.

4. The most disturbing aspect of misrule of the APC as chronicled in the communiqué is the petroleum sector.

The stealing of Nigeria’s crude oil and the connivance of NNPC in shortchanging other tiers of government, namely, States and Local Governments is simply mind bogging, if not outright criminal. Nigeria now produces 1.1million barrels of crude oil per day. It has capacity to produce 2.5million per day. It cannot even meet its OPEC quota of 1.8million per day. NNPC is a law unto itself. Nobody can call them to order to desist from the part of lawlessness and unconstitutional acts it has chosen to dwell in. Of course, President Buhari is the Minister of Petroleum Resources. Under his watch, the Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector is deteriorating. In an accountable government, he should have resigned his position as Minister of Petroleum, as a result of the cataclysmic failures in the sector.

5. It is even shocking that Garba Shehu admits that funds from NNPC are now directly used to fund social and health programmes, road construction etc, in an unconstitutional overreach. NNPC can spend the Federal Government’s share of the Federation Account as it pleases. It cannot spend money belonging to other tiers of government without their approval. NNPC cheats States and Local Governments. NNPC recklessly squanders money belonging to other tiers of government and has the audacity and impudence to pay Zero amount of money into the Federation Account.
6. Garba Shehu conveniently ignored the facts in the PDP Governors Communique that exposed the deduction of N788billion for NNPC’s own chosen projects without recourse to the Federation Account; the deduction of N8.3billion monthly for rehabilitation of refineries in Nigeria that do not work; the scandal called petroleum subsidy that gulps trillions of naira yearly without accountability and value for money. Between 2012 and 2021, N7.6T has been withheld by NNPC from the Federal Account. Yet, Garba Shehu kept mum on these scandalous disclosures.

What did Garba Shehu say about 18 Federation Revenue Agencies that have refused to remit funds to the Federation Account in breach of the Constitution? Nothing! What an impunity? What a robbery? What a reckless and whimsical approach to governance!

The presumption is that we can talk as much as we want, since power resides in the Presidency, we can do nothing. But there will be a day for accounting. There will be a day of reckoning. When that day comes, arrogance of power will not avail the perpetrator of these serial acts of theft of Nigeria’s patrimony.

7. Garba Shehu accused PDP Governors of influencing ethnic and religious tensions. How does pointing out the deteriorating state of affairs in Nigeria inflame ethnic and religious tensions?

The Buhari Presidency by all objective accounts is the worst in Nigerias history in managing our diversity. Under APC’s 7 years rule, Nigerians no longer trust one another, ethnic and religious differences are not properly managed. All our fault lines are exposed and exacerbated.

8. Garba Shehu had the temerity to praise the military success under Buhari as compared to the PDP. That someone in today’s Nigeria can be this tone-deaf to the cheapening of life in Nigeria under the watch of the APC is to say the least, unfortunate.

The recent events in Kaduna has brought trauma and shame to Nigeria.

9. It is even more surprising that Garba Shehu mentioned the value of the Naira. What can we say, there is no strategy, no concerted effort to stabilise the value of the Naira. How can there be a plan when the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, is openly running for the office of President, spending billions in television and newspaper advertisement and other costly engagements. This is being done under the nose of Mr President. There can be no better evidence of government adrift, unconcerned and rudderless. Without care about how the economy runs. The sheer arrogance of being in such a sensitive office and running for President is quite outstounding.
10. The PDP Governors sounded alarm on the problems facing the country. The Government should wake up from its deep slumber. In any case there is hope in the horizon as PDP is poised to RESCUE AND REBUILD Nigeria after 2023.