PDP destroyed Nigeria’s economy during 16-year tenure — Pro-Buhari Group alleges

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has disputed statements made by governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform that Nigeria was 100% better when the former ruling party was in office.

In a statement signed by Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke on Wednesday, April 6, the BMO said it was “laughable” that the party was basing its claims on global economic reality.

“When Presidential spokesman Malam Garba Shehu said PDP squandered the nation’s resources with reckless abandon in its 16 years misrule, in response to the communique issued by its governors at the end of their recent meeting in Abia state, he was clearly stating the obvious.

“We were actually expecting the PDP Governors Forum to respond with facts to disprove the Presidency’s position, only to see the group bringing up prices of basic foodstuffs, fuel and diesel as well as the exchange rate.

“It is surprising that the Director-General of the forum CID Maduabum pretended to be oblivious of global economic realities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we also wonder whether the former federal lawmaker took cognisance of the prices of those things he cited at the time he became a member of the House of Representatives in 2003.

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“Here is a party that claims to have handed over a robust economy in 2015 but in reality, left behind an unprecedented and unfortunate situation of 27 States being unable to pay workers salaries and pensions in spite of trillions of naira in oil revenue.

“Let us also remind him and his employers that the PDP-era witnessed an oil boom yet Nigeria was, in 2013, home to 112million people living in extreme poverty on 1 dollar a day (N160 at the time), according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“It was also a period when the economy began to go on a free fall, but the government was spending 5billion dollars annually on food imports with little effort to boost local food production capacity or improve on infrastructure,” the statement read.

BMO also stated that it will be interested to observe what PDP leaders will present as achievements at the federal and state levels in order to persuade Nigerians to vote for them to return to power at the centre.

The group also claimed that President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had accomplished more in seven years with less money than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accomplished in 16 years.