Immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
He also argued that Nigerians are undergoing the worst of stress since the return of democratic government in 1999 as President Bola Tinubu’s reforms are impacting negatively on the lives of the people.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, the PDP chieftain argued that almost two years since assumption of office, the renewed hope promised Nigerians by the president during the electioneering campaign is yet to manifest.
He cited the high cost of food, medication, fuel and electricity as some of the negative effect of the reforms by the Tinubu administration.
“Is this the best of times for Nigerians? Even under the military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, when the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was introduced, Nigerians stood up and said it should wear a human face. But we are in a situation where President Tinubu says that he has introduced reforms that will help Nigerians and yet, the people are undergoing the worst of stress. People are dying because they cannot afford food or medication”.
“You introduced a holistic subsidy removal that has brought the nation to her knees, you introduced floating of the naira that has made purchases extremely difficult. You told Nigerians to keep renewing their hope but it is now two years down the lane”.
“We are in Christmas season yet Nigerians cannot afford rice because a bag of rice is now between N100,000 and N120,000 depending on where you are buying from. They said Dangote has reduced price of petroleum products. A litre of fuel in Abuja sells for N1,080. People can’t even afford the high cost of electricity yet we have a government that is insensitive and is not talking to the people.
“The purchasing power is abysmally low and all the reforms they are talking about is not reflecting in the lives of Nigerians”.
On claims by some of the aides of the president that there will be no vacancy in 2027, Ologbondiyan said “I don’t want to subscribe to the notion of people who are going around and saying that there is no vacancy in Aso Villa in 2027. It is strange and funny”.
“If there is no vacancy, why will you spend money organising election? First and foremost, I believe that power resides with the people. There are those who will tell you in Nigeria that power resides with INEC and President Bola Tinubu is the one that will appoint a successor to the current INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu”.
“Notwithstanding, I have always argued that we have had a situation in this country where a sitting president appointed the INEC chairman, yet he still lost the election. In politics, nothing is static and nothing is permanent except change. On account of that, I will not discourage the political class and I won’t say anything that will stop them from planning because it is normal in political environment to make plans for future elections”.
