The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is wrong for
President Muhammadu Buhari to “claim” projects started by previous
administrations.
Buhari highlighted some of his administration’s projects in
an interview with Arise TV, which was broadcast on Thursday.
However, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s spokesman, in a
statement, said Buhari claimed projects which date back to the administrations
of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan — both former presidents were
elected on the PDP platform.
He added that contrary to Nigerians’ expectations, the
president was evasive in his responses to some questions on the country’s
challenges.
“Our party is dismayed that while millions of Nigerians
eagerly expected President Buhari to use the interview to address salient
issues confronting our nation, Mr. President bungled the opportunity by being
evasive and dodgy while attempting to lay claims to projects done by PDP
administrations,” the statement reads.
“Instead of addressing issues and providing direction for
our nation, President Buhari exposed his cluelessness, paucity of ideas for
development, while making very provocative comments that could embolden
terrorists as well as serve as recipe for further division and violence in the
country.
“On infrastructure, it is ludicrous to us in the PDP that
Mr. President can disingenuously seek to subtract the deliverables achieved by
past PDP administration from his so-called achievement on infrastructure.
“The PDP places it on record and we know that Nigerians are
also aware that President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was elected on the platform of
the PDP, introduced a 25 years national development plan upon assumption of
office in 1999.
“This included the massive construction and expansion of
road network, power plants, railways projects, inland and coastal waterways,
airports, housing, agricultural and health projects as well as establishment of
new universities and other legacy projects in various parts of our country.
“We want to inform President Buhari, since he is not always
aware, that successive governments elected on the platform of the PDP built on
these development plans leading to the expansion of major trunk roads across
our country, railways and other legacy projects which, probably, his handlers
are making him to believe are his.
“It is on record that President Goodluck Jonathan also took
on a massive expansion of our international and domestic airports across the
country, built and commissioned railway stations.
“It is instructive to state that where projects were yet to
be completed, it is only a natural occurrence for any Nigerian elected as
President to proceed, in the national interest, to complete such projects.
“The PDP therefore considers it tacky for Mr. President to
seek to claim any credit for projects he never conceptualised, commenced or
built to near completion, just because he found himself in office at the point
of completion.
“Should Mr. President be reminded that even the expansion of
the Presidential Villa including the Banquet Hall, which his party, the All
Progressives Congress (APC) uses today as its National Secretariat was
conceptualised and built by the PDP government, though leaders of the APC stood
stoutly against the project while it was on-going?
“President Buhari also needs to accept the bitter fact that
the current drawback in infrastructural development in our country started with
his administration. Like a relay race, successive PDP administrations furthered
infrastructural development only for him to run the opposite direction when the
baton was passed to him.
“It is important to state that only the on-going
refurbishing of Akwanga-Maiduguri road that President Buhari can lay claim to
as the singular and only project in which he has demonstrated capacity.”
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