17th February, 2024
Governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have told the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) led Federal Government to throw in the towel if it cannot meet the needs of hungry Nigerians.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director-General, PDP Governors Forum, Cyril Maduabum on Saturday.
The PDP governors said it must be noted that even though Nigeria is a Federation, there is indeed only one economy, saying that hardship and suffering being faced by Nigerians had no tribal, religious or party colouration as “A hungry man is an angry man.”
The statement said while all tiers of government have a role to play, the APC-led Federal Government has a disproportionate role to play in mobilising Nigerians and all organs and tiers of government for sustainable solutions.
“If it cannot do so or is unable to do so, it should graciously throw in the towel. Attempts by the Honourable Minister of Information, APC Governors’ Forum, and other officials of the Federal Government who criticised the PDP Governors’ Forum for their patriotic intervention should be guided by the fact that the APC sought power to solve the problems of Nigeria not to compound them or shift blame, or grandstand or use propaganda to obfuscate or confuse issues,” it stated.
The governors said the PDP-governed states are comparatively the best in Nigeria in terms of developmental policies, programmes, and projects that benefit their states positively, regular payment of salaries, pensions, gratuities, and minimum wage to their workforce.
“State governments that are delinquent on these issues are not of PDP extraction. It is false to say so. Even the food crises are exacerbated by insecurity and high exchange rate issues, among others, which are largely federal subjects,” it stated.
The statement added that the PDP Governors as stakeholders in governance would continue to work collaboratively with President Bola Tinubu to find lasting solutions to a very difficult situation created or exacerbated by the APC since 2015. We believe in cooperative federalism.
“The buck ultimately stops at Mr. President’s table as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation, the Chief Salesman and leader of Nigeria.
“We are not in doubt that he is trying his best. We only hope and pray that his best is good enough to take Nigeria out of the woods in the shortest possible time,” the governors said.