From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
In the aftermath of the Osun State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has admonished the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu to withdraw from the contest.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, gave the admonition, on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja.
Ologunagba said with the alleged dismal performance of the APC in the last seven years, as well as the rising popularity of the opposition party, Tinubu allegedly has no chance in the 2023 polls.
The opposition party spokesman stated that under the APC-led government, the economy has been allegedly wrecked, while the country’s debt profile has increased substantially in the last seven years of the present administration.
According to him, “our productive sector has been completely wrecked. The over $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) with a naira value of N167 to the dollar handed over by the PDP has been brought to its knees with the naira now crawling at N665 to a dollar today.
“Under Asiwaju’s APC government, Nigeria’s debt stock has astronomically risen from N12 trillion under the PDP to N41.6 trillion with our nation going broke, as debt servicing cost has now surpassed government revenue with over N300 billion.
“Today, millions of businesses have been shut down due to the harsh economic policies and high cost of fuel; unemployment has risen to over 35 per cent, cost of food items, medication and essential services have skyrocketed beyond reach as over 90 million Nigerians are no longer able to afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life. What a tragedy!
“It is now crystal clear to Nigerians why the people of Asiwaju’s ancestral state of Osun and the South West geo-political zone which ought to be his natural stronghold outright rejected him and his APC in the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun state.
“The APC Presidential candidate and his party should know that it is in his own interest to withdraw from the race as it will be futile to go into an election in which the will and aspiration of the people are manifestly against him and the APC.”
The PDP spokesman lampooned Tinubu Campaign Council over allegations that some alleged hirelings were dressed in the vestments of bishops “to orchestrate an endorsement” for the ruling party at the unveiling of its vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, in Abuja.