The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described President Bola Tinubu’s two years in office as a “massive disappointment”, accusing his administration of inflicting hardship on Nigerians through poor economic decisions, worsening insecurity, and unchecked corruption.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday ahead of Tinubu’s second anniversary in office, the opposition party declared that the last 24 months under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government had been “nightmarish”, alleging that millions of Nigerians are “going through hell” under what it called an “insensitive” and “anti-people” regime.
“The PDP tasks President Tinubu to urgently address the issue of insecurity, reverse all economically suffocating policies and check the wholesale corruption, greed, unbridled profligacy, reckless misdirection of resources, arrogance in failure and totalitarian tendencies in his administration,” the statement signed by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, read in part.
The PDP blamed Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the abrupt removal of petrol subsidy and unification of exchange rates, for plunging the country into deeper crisis, asserting that such policies had “crippled the productive sector, crashed businesses, and triggered mass job losses.”
Comparing current indicators with the PDP’s time in power, the statement said, “The Naira which exchanged for N167 to a US Dollar under the PDP now exchanges for over N1,600. Petrol, which sold for N87 per litre under the PDP, now goes for over N1,000. Inflation is near 40%, youth unemployment has crossed 42%, and Nigerians are facing an acute food shortage.”
It also accused the administration of gross negligence in the area of security, claiming that more than 600,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists and bandits since May 2023, citing government inaction as a key enabler of violence.
In addition to domestic failures, the PDP said international confidence in Nigeria is waning. “Multinationals are leaving Nigeria in droves to neighbouring countries where governments are alive to their responsibilities,” the party said.
Ologunagba also slammed what he described as a pattern of “reckless foreign borrowing”, citing Nigeria’s debt profile, which has reportedly ballooned to N182.91 trillion, with a recent request by the Tinubu administration for an additional $24.14 billion (about N38.24 trillion) in loans.
“While Nigerians suffer,” the PDP said, “the APC is obsessed with turning our country into a one-party state and squandering national resources on private jets, luxury yachts, mansions, expensive trips and a lavish lifestyle.”
The opposition party warned Tinubu against using his second anniversary to deliver “rhetoric and false performance claims”, urging the president to instead “redeem his image” by urgently addressing insecurity, reversing harmful policies, and bringing in more competent hands to manage the economy.
Calling on Nigerians not to lose hope, the PDP encouraged citizens to “rally on the platform of the PDP” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Mr. President should recognise that Nigerians are seriously hurting,” the party concluded. “He still has two years left to make amends.”
President Tinubu is expected to address the nation on 29 May, to mark the second year of his administration. Ends.
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