- The APC accused PDP governors of failing to acknowledge the APC’s achievements and effectively utilize resources for their states
- The APC argued that Nigeria’s current challenges stem from the PDP’s 16 years of misrule and that the hardship from the federal government’s corrective policies is temporary
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to the recent criticisms from governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), urging them to stop blaming the federal government for their failures.
During a two-day meeting in Enugu, the PDP governors accused the APC-led federal government of wrecking the country’s economy and institutions built during the PDP’s 16-year rule. They highlighted the “unprecedented hardship and impoverishment” of Nigerians, attributing it to the APC’s mismanagement. They also expressed concerns over the prolonged minimum wage negotiations.
In a statement on Thursday, APC National Publicity Secretary Barrister Felix Morka countered these claims, asserting that Nigeria’s current challenges stem from the PDP’s 16 years of misrule. He added that the hardship from the federal government’s “inevitable corrective policies” is temporary and will lead to positive outcomes soon.
Morka criticized the PDP governors for failing to acknowledge the APC’s achievements, particularly the financial autonomy granted to local governments. He said, “It is ironic that PDP governors, who met to discuss the newfound financial autonomy of local governments, ended their meeting by blaming the APC government for reforms they could not achieve in 16 years.”
He argued that the PDP governors are “morally and politically unfit” to criticize the APC, emphasizing their lack of responsibility as state leaders to effectively use resources for their people’s benefit.
Morka pointed out that through Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Barrister Nyesom Wike, the APC is completing numerous road projects in the FCT that the PDP administrations abandoned. He accused PDP governors of acting like “idle spectators” and failing to deliver basic services to their states.
Regarding the minimum wage issue, Morka highlighted that many PDP governors have not paid their workers the legal minimum wage. He criticized them for accusing the Tinubu administration of delaying the approval of a new minimum wage despite their own public proclamations that they could not afford it.
Morka also condemned the PDP for sustaining harmful economic policies like the petroleum subsidy regime and parallel foreign exchange systems, which he said devastated the nation’s economy. He assured that the APC government is working to revitalize the economy and that the benefits of the current reforms will soon be evident.
“The transient hardship caused by necessary corrective policies will pale compared to the lasting prosperity they will bring to all Nigerians,” Morka concluded.