By Banji Ayoola
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on Nigerians to vote the ruling All Progressives Congress out at the coming February 25 presidential election for alleged misrule and imposing the prevailing hardship and suffering on them.
It made the call on Thursday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at a press conference, which was addressed jointly by the new state Director General of its Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Senator Boluwaji Kunlere; state chairman, Hon Fatai Adams; Governorship Candidate, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, SAN; and its former South West spokesman, Mr. Ayo Fadaka.
The party regretted that Nigerians are worse today than they were during the preceding PDP administration, a situation which according to it has been confirmed serially at campaigns by the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu.
Referring to Tinubu, Kunlere said: “One of the major contenders in Abeokuta where you had the origin of your job, Iwe Iroyin Yoruba by Henry Townsend, published. It was in Abeokuta that he declared: “Vote them out.” And he is flying the flag of the party in government. He told Nigerians to vote them out.
“So what other evidence do we require? And he declared in Calabar that he met dollar at 200. It was not even 200. It was 197. He said he met it at 200, now it is 800; so what other evidence?”
The DG urged the press to “continue to press that this election must be transparent and free, devoid of any form of violence.”
His words: “At the end of the day, all of us including the media will have the opportunity of practicing your profession of educating and enlightening our people.”
He said: “We are not asking people to manipulate reports for us, but tell the people what is happening here, what is happening in Nigeria today and then. The evidence is very clear.”
Kunlere recalled the achievements of the PDP administration especially the telecommunication revolution which led to the blossoming of the print and electronic media; flourishing of online banking, publishing, banking and eased other social interactions across continents and countries.
However, he noted that “The question is whether you could say of such of the present government that has been in power for almost eight years now.
“You have your children, wives, relations. You know how much you are paying for common egg, milk. They now belong to the super rich for people to take milk, for the brains of our children to develop. So it is very simple.”
In his own speech, Adams said that in view of the worsening hardship, Nigerians should vote out the ruling APC and bring in his party the PDP, which he said is “the only party that I believe can rescue Nigeria, that can rebuild this country, that can rebuild our economy, that can reset our educational sector, that can guarantee the security of lives and property.”
In his words: “As we are approaching the general elections, you can see the hardship on the Nigerian citizens. You can see how the government is deliberately impoverishing the entire citizens.
“ If you have your money, you cannot use it; you cannot even get the fuel at will. You have to queue at the ATM to get N2, 000. You have to queue at filling stations to buy fuel at exorbitant rate. You have to queue to get your PVC.
“It is unbecoming of this administration. I want to implore Nigerian citizens to get their PVC ready and show them the way out; and the only way, the only party that I believe can rescue Nigeria, that can rebuild this country, that can rebuild our economy, that can reset our educational sector, that can guarantee the security of lives and property is PDP.
“I am calling on Nigerians to vote Atiku for president and all the candidates of PDP in other elections.”
In his speech, Jegede said: “We are concerned about this country. It is not a question of party. It is a question of this nation. Every day when you see what is happening, it appears that this country is going down the stream.
“We are not perfect, but then our people are going through a lot of stress and suffering not only at the national level but also at the state level and the local level. And these are things that we all know.
“Our parents who had what is good, are they better off now than they were when PDP was in government? I am sure the answer is No. our children who were given buses taking them close to their schools, would they have cause for regret now because the buses are no longer available. The answer is obvious Yes.
“Our pregnant women who at some point in this state were going for medicals in our hospitals, Mother and Child especially, and having almost free deliveries, are they better off than they were?
“Now I know that even the economy has nosedived. We have a duty to this country to try as much as possible to rescue power from those who have oppressed us. I am not saying that the other side has not done their best, but their best is not good for this country at all.
“I am not saying that they have not taken steps. They have taken steps, but the steps are in the negative. I am not saying that they are not in government. They are but they have nothing to offer.
“The truth of it is that with all the shortcomings of the past administration, what we have experienced or we are experiencing now is worse. The cost of living is so high. The prices of food items are so high.
“Our children are out of school. Some of our parents cannot even pay the school fees and there is no programme of government to address these not only at the state level but also at the federal level.
“So we seek your hand (the press) in fellowship. Let us work together. I know you are sacrificing a lot. We are in this struggle together. There are things we do for the sake of this nation and generations yet unborn.
“The success of our country does not depend only on the party. It’s not about the PDP or APC. It’s about all of us. Let us do the right thing, and that is why we are saying let all of us come here today, sit down and understand ourselves.”
In his own speech, Fadaka queried sadly: “I want to ask you media practitioners. What suddenly happened to the fighting spirit of Nigerians that they no longer protest?
“Before now, when Nigerians feel hardship, they protest. When fuel gets unnecessarily expensive, they fight. And the new has just been added. You can no longer have access to your money, and we are all keeping quiet.
“Have we as professionals failed in educating our people. That is a question I want all of us to ponder on.”
He said: “We have a responsibility to our nation. If I was not a member of PDP, I would still say it. The presidency, the office of the president is an office and not a hospice.
“What do I mean? Whoever occupies it should be president of Nigeria, must be somebody that is strong, firm, resourceful to run that office and not an infirm and an invalid.
“We have the responsibility to let Nigerians know that Aso Rock is an office and not a hospice. We must educate our people not to vote for another sick person to become president.
“In the first four years of Buhari, we paid for it when the naira began to depreciate so badly. That was when banditry became so heightened. So we have the responsibility to our people.”
