Secondus, Out; Ayu Takes Over As PDP National Chairman.Assuring Nigerians Of Better Future

By Ayodele Oni

New National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Dr Iyorcha Ayu, on Friday, rekindled the hope of Nigerians in democracy as he, along with members of the National Executive Council of the party, assumed duty.

In his inaugural speech at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Ayu stated that PDP remains the only political party intact from1999 till date as others had either gone into extinction or merged with other groups.

According to him, “The PDP is the only organic political party in Nigeria that has remained a credible, tested, tasted and trusted mass movement since the return of democracy in 1999. Other political parties have either fizzled away or merged with others.

“Some have mutated into a contraption like the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), without any clear ideology or a coherent programme of action.

“This contraption seduced Nigerians with propaganda in 2015. Today, Nigerians have seen the limit of propaganda and demagoguery. The only thing the APC is doing successfully is irresponsible borrowing.

“The PDP, on the other hand, has a history of performance and legacy achievements. In our 16 years in power, we not only gave Nigerians good governance, we also strengthened democratic institutions so as to add value to the people.

“In an unprecedented move, we stabilized our democracy by sanitizing the armed forces of politically exposed officers.

“We gave Nigeria her first-ever successful transition from one civilian administration to another in 2007.

“To the disbelief of all watchers of African politics, we willingly conceded defeat in 2015, and handed over power to an opposition party in 2015.

“It was the PDP-Federal Government that created value-adding public institutions like the EFCC, ICPC, NAFDAC, the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) among many others.

“The PDP administration also strengthened the governance process by enacting laws to effectively drive public administration in Nigeria, namely: the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Mid-Term Expenditure Fame-Work, the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Personal and Payroll Information Systems (IPPIS) just to mention a few.

“We negotiated and obtained forgiveness of over $30 Billion of debt, making Nigeria almost a debt-free country. Foreign direct investments flowed in.

“Cumulatively, the foregoing made Nigeria, not only the fastest growing economy in Africa, but also the biggest economy on the continent.”

“Our task at this auspicious moment is to return the Party to the people. But to do that, the Party needs to be reinvigorated, reinvented and repositioned.

“We are not unmindful of our missed steps and actions in the past, but we have learnt our lessons, both in government and in opposition. Today, we stand tall, and with a firm resolve to rebuild our great party and rescue our nation.”

Prof Ayu however lamented that the achievements of the PDP in its 16 years rule have been replaced with failures and disappointments by the APC led adminisration.

“From the biggest economy in 2015, the APC has given the country two recessions and turned Nigeria into the Poverty Capital of the world. Today, close to 40 million Nigerians have no jobs.

“In the last six years, the APC-led government has mismanaged our diversity; divided the country along regional and religious lines. It has exacerbated religious tensions in the country.

“And through its marriage to nepotism, the incompetent APC- Federal Government is fueling secessionist agitations in the East and West of Nigeria.

“Your Excellencies, party faithful, very distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our dear Nigeria is drifting dangerously towards a failed state. Terrorists are now sharing sovereignty with Nigeria. Nigeria is simply ungoverned. Nigeria is collapsing under the leadership of a retired general!

“The APC used both the mainstream media and the social media to access power. Today, it coordinates a systematic assault on the media, civic freedoms and freedom of speech.

“Let me give you the grim legacy of the APC: Two economic recessions in six years. A sluggish GDP growth rate of below two percent. About 40 million Nigerians have been pushed into extreme poverty in six years. Inflation is at an all-time high at 18%.

“A weak and devalued Naira, devalued by over 300 percent since 2015, has made our currency the worst in Africa. Unemployment now stands at 33 percent. Meaning: Close to 40 million Nigerians, willing and able to work, can’t find jobs.

“A total debt stock of over $90 billion now hangs over Nigeria. An erratic exchange rate regime has depleted N324 against the US Dollar in the last six years.

“Kidnapping for ransom is now big business. We share sovereignty with terrorists who kidnap and rape our women, including our mothers and under-aged children.The terrorists even kill them when ransom is delayed. These are not political alarms, but statements of facts.”

He however assured that the PDP is back to give the people hope and better tomorrow adding that “But I stand here today, not to merely recount APC’s spectacular failures.

“I stand here to assure you that PDP is back to Rescue and Rebuild Nigeria. Under the new NWC, PDP will strengthen its internal democratic processes. We shall endeavour to reach out to all party members, young and old, male and female.”

Ayu gave kudos to the founding fathers of the party and its various organs, assuring that they would be consulted on issues and actions of the leadership.