From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, berated Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, over his comments on the scarcity of the redesigned Naira notes.
Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shaibu, said the remarks to el-Rufai, is a low point in the profile of the Kaduna State governor.
Shaibu noted that it is “inglorious” that the Kaduna State governor rather than sympathize with the citizens over the effect of the Naira scarcity, preferred “to go on political entanglement over the issue.”
According to him, “for the avoidance of doubt, the currency crisis (and indeed all other crises), as it stands today, is a mess created by the APC and it will be imprudent of the Kaduna State governor or anyone else to associate the PDP or its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar with the crisis.
“It is curious why Governor el-Rufai and other elements of his ilk in the APC had to wait this long before they found it contingent to speak in disapproval of policies initiated by their own political party. Perhaps, it is because for them, self-interest in an election season is more important than public interest.
“As a matter of fact, the lingering fuel scarcity and, indeed, the currency crisis of which el-Rufai so bitterly complained about did not just start today. In major cities across the country, Nigerians have been contending with the problem of fuel scarcity for almost two years in some places like the Federal Capital Territory, while el-Rufai and others crying foul in the APC turned blind eyes to the plight of Nigerians.”