The All Progressives Congress (APC) has sought the help of religious prayer warriors to salvage what remains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the PDP exhibited a gross act of irresponsibility by attacking the Independence Day speech of President Muhammadu Buhari.
In its reaction entitled “PDP needs total deliverance for attacking PMB’s Independence Day speech” and signed by its spokesman, Yekini Nabena, the APC said it has become clearer that “the main opposition PDP and its elements need the sympathies of all well-meaning Nigerians because the vision and the ideal dream on how to build a great nation seems to have eluded the former ruling party.”
It said President Buhari in his Independence Anniversary message gave hope to Nigerians and Nigerians to trust their leader whose integrity has been proven. According to the APC, “the misinterpretation of Mr President’s Independence Day speech by the PDP is an act of irresponsibility that requires prayer warriors to make it whole”.
The APC noted that the reassurance, given by the President’s speech, especially to lift about 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, “should ordinarily fascinate all patriots but because of bad politics, the PDP and its elements would blind their eyes to such re-proclamation and others.”
“Understandably, the PDP leaders would prefer the continuity of the locust era but the reassuring takeaway in the speech of Mr President is a spoiler to their evil plans. The speech further showed commitment to investing more in Buhari’s Agrarian Revolution, digital economy, medium and small scale industries as a sure way of gradually lifting people out of poverty.
“Surprisingly, the opposition party had the guts to criticize the commendable and courageous step taken by this administration to end the era of robbing Peter to pay Paul in the oil sector by totally embracing deregulation which in turn will bring about massive job creation, business opportunities and attract more investors. For so many years, the dying PDP could not summon the courage to do this simply because of corruption.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC administration are enjoying the goodwill of Nigerians in the majority and our people know that the challenge associated with the removal of fuel subsidy is temporary. Therefore the manipulation tactics and the hatred being spread by the PDP and its leaders will definitely fall on the infertile soil.
“For us, we can only urge the prayer warriors around to always remember the dying PDP in prayers while Nigeria continues to move on the path of greatness”, APC concluded.
The PDP had in its reaction to the presidential speech described it “as a huge slap on the sensibilities of Nigerians”. Specifically, it said: “President Buhari’s attempt to justify the increase of fuel price in Nigeria by comparing it to the N168 per liter cost in Saudi Arabia is a morbid joke”, noting that the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia is N305,113 (3000 Saudi Riyals), ten times higher than our paltry N30,000 which is largely unimplemented in Nigeria.
“Is Mr President not aware that, on the average, a person working in Saudi Arabia earns around 4,230 SAR (N430, 267) to 16,700 SAR (N1,698,693) per month?”, PDP had queried.