Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, has said the party would provide alternatives to the current economic hardship in the country through constructive criticisms.
He stated this on Tuesday at a meeting with members of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) held at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja.
This was as the 76th BoT meeting of the PDP expressed deep concerns over the economic hardship, high cost of essential life-enhancing commodities, insecurity and alarming food scarcity in the country occasioned by the ill-implemented policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
Also, on Tuesday, the BoT in its communique, said in the bid to strengthen itself, confirmed Senator Adolphus Wabara as its Chairman and Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi as Secretary in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP.
However, Mohammed who lamented that citizens were subjected to untold hardship leading to hunger and anger, maintained that instead of engaging in a blame game, PDP as the major opposition would continue to offer positive contributions for the benefit of Nigerians.
While acknowledging the BOT support to the aspirations of all PDP candidates that won various elective positions, he promised to accord them their desired respect as leaders of the party.
He expressed optimism that PDP would continue to remain united and the strongest political party in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in a communique read by Wabara, the PDP BoT said the current state of the nation was already causing restiveness and agitations in various parts of the country.
“The BoT is alarmed by the worsening insecurity in the country as evident in the rising cases of mass killings, banditry, kidnap for ransom and acts of terrorism by assailants, who are emboldened by the manifest laidback attitude of the APC administration to issues of security, especially in the last nine months.
“The BoT is appalled by the monumental corruption and unbridled treasury-looting in the APC administration especially the looting of billions of Naira meant for palliatives for poor and vulnerable Nigerians,” he said.
He said BoT was seriously worried over the fall of the Naira to an abysmal N1,500 to the Dollar, incessant increase in the pump price of fuel which now sells for over N700 per liter with long queues in various parts of the country.
“These have attendant negative consequences as evident in the nearly 30% inflation rate, 41% unemployment rate and alarming 46% poverty rate where up to 130 million citizens have sunk deeper into multi-dimensional poverty in the last nine months.
“The BoT is disturbed that the catastrophic economic and security situation in the country have left Nigerians hopeless, despondent, angry and constitute a present and immediate threat to the survival of the country as hardworking young Nigerians, professionals in critical fields as well as major multinational companies are now leaving our nation in droves. “
Chuks Okocha, Olawale Ajimotokan and Segun Awofadeji
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