'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - The All Progressives Congress (APC) in a strongly worded statement has denounced the recent criticisms from Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing them of hypocrisy and mismanagement. The PDP Governors, who met in Enugu on July 17, 2024, had alleged that the APC has been responsible for destroying the country’s economy and institutions built during the PDP’s 16 years in power.
The Enugu meeting was convened by the PDP Governors’ Forum in response to the Supreme Court's landmark decision granting financial autonomy to local government councils. The PDP Governors discussed the implications of this decision, which they claimed was undermined by the APC's governance.
In the APC’s rebuttal, National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka labeled the PDP Governors as "barefaced heirs of a legacy of sleaze and ruin," asserting that they are unqualified to criticize the APC-led government. Morka highlighted the irony of the PDP Governors' meeting, noting that the financial autonomy reform—heralded as a significant democratic breakthrough—was accomplished by the APC, not the PDP.
Morka accused the PDP Governors of failing to understand their responsibilities as state leaders, calling them "idle spectators and executive free-loaders." He pointed to Delta State, which has been under PDP governance since 1999, as an example of the party's mismanagement, citing unpaid salaries and pensions despite receiving the highest federal allocations in the country.
The APC's statement also addressed the PDP Governors' complaints about the delay in approving a new minimum wage. Morka highlighted that President Bola Tinubu has now approved a new minimum wage of N70,000, a move aimed at alleviating economic hardship. This approval came despite the PDP Governors' recent admissions of financial incapacity to pay the proposed wage.
Morka reminded Nigerians of the PDP’s 16 years in power, characterized by corruption and mismanagement. He highlighted the efforts of the APC-led administration, particularly those of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, in completing long-abandoned infrastructure projects initiated under the PDP.
The APC's statement concluded by asserting that the reforms under President Tinubu’s administration will bring long-term prosperity to Nigerians, despite the temporary hardships brought on by necessary policy changes.
