Start working, stop blaming us, PDP tells Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop blaming the opposition party for his failure.

Rather than accusing the PDP of being behind the challenges facing the country, the opposition party said the President should settle down and work.

It said it was wrong for the President to still be blaming the PDP 11 months after he assumed office.

The National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, said this at the party’s secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Sheriff, who was a former governor of Borno State, said the All Progressives Congress claimed to have solutions to the nation’s problems, saying this was why it was voted into power by Nigerians instead of the PDP.

He spoke during the inauguration of the four committees set up by the party.

The committees are national convention committee, finance committee, reconciliation committee and zoning committee.

Sheriff was apparently replying to the claim by the President that the PDP failed to save for the rainy day throughout the 16 years it ruled the country.

President Buhari spoke while receiving the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Dr. Bernard Aliyu, at the State House in Abuja.

He had said, “In the First Republic, more enduring infrastructure was built with meagre resources. But in the past 16 years, we made a lot of money without planning for the rainy day.

“We showed a lot of indiscipline in managing our economy, and that is why we are where we are today.”

Before Buhari spoke, a former Governor of Lagos State, who is also the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in another forum, had also blamed the PDP for the current fuel crisis in the country.

Tinubu, while addressing journalists in Lagos, said the PDP destroyed Nigeria during its 16-year rule by refusing to pursue what was necessary for the growth and development of the country.

He had said, “We want to stay focused and redirect Nigeria. We want to reverse the decay of 16 years. We are hearing comments from the PDP left and right. We are saying we want to clear the mess they created. For 16 good years, the PDP destroyed the country.

“We should not be lamenting over petrol queues today if they had seen what was necessary and done what was necessary for this country.”

Sheriff, however, said the blame game should stop and called on the President and the APC to get to work and deliver on their electoral promises.

Sheriff, who was a member of the APC before he defected to the PDP, said the result of the 2015 general elections had afforded Nigerians to know the difference between the two parties now.

He said, “Nigerians have the opportunity of comparing the two parties. I read in a publication recently where the APC was blaming the PDP for the unavailability of petrol in the country.

“They said we are responsible for petrol scarcity after one year in office. They should stop blaming us.

“They told Nigerians they could do better and that’s why Nigerians voted for them. They should stop blaming us for their woes.

“I like to advise the leaders of the APC to stop blaming the PDP. We are now the opposition party, we would reposition our party to show that we can do better.”

He said the days of rigging election in the country were over, and called on the APC governors to steer clear of Abuja on Saturday when council elections would hold.

Sheriff said he had been informed that some governors of the APC were planning to storm Abuja.

He said if this happened, then the PDP would also bring its governors to the Federal Capital Territory.

He said, “Governors of the APC should not be in Abuja for the election. If they think they can rig out the PDP, they are joking. If they bring governors, we would bring governors.

“If they bring former governors, we would bring our own. We can match them everywhere.

“The APC should be guided. We are not going to be part of violence. The PDP will not be part of violence, but we will protect our votes. Winners must be announced. No inconclusive elections.”

Also speaking at the occasion, the immediate-past Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, called on members of the PDP to stop correcting Buhari and the APC government.

He said they should be allowed to make mistakes in order to allow Nigerians know the difference between them and the PDP.

Copyright PUNCH.