By Ezeocha Nzeh
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday maintained that the planned rebuilding by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as proposed by its presidential candidate at the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, must begin with restitution from its alleged atrocities during the party’s 16 years rule in the country
The APC therefore urged that the PDP must not only return its stolen resources, but noted that a sincere apologies for the havoc wrecked on the country during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 16-year rule should be the preoccupation of PDP.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had advice his party, the PDP, to concentrate on strengthening and rebuilding the PDP for now, rather than dissipating energy on the 2023 elections.
“Atiku and the PDP represent the wasted past which Nigerians have chosen to discard and correct. The era when national assets were a bazaar for cronies and friends; an era when funds were approved and released for projects that were never executed; an era of waste and impunity; an era of voodoo economy; an era when corruption was a state policy.
“Nigerians now enjoy a new dispensation which has ensured massive infrastructural development covering the rail, road, agriculture, aviation, ports, education and health sectors.
“The resolute and pro-people intervention by the President Muhammadu Buhari government has ensured the plugging of revenue leakages, oil sector reforms, anti-corruption policies, economic diversification, rapid infrastructure development, intensification of fight againt violent extremism among others.
“Particularly in the fight against public sector corruption, the recently-launched Open Treasury Portal (OTP) complements previous initiatives such as the administration’s full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which has increased the level of accountability and transparency in the financial resources of the government; stoppage of budget padding, contrary to what we witnessed throughout the 16 years of the PDP and pruning out thousands of ghost workers through stricter implementation of Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS).” The APC stated in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa – Onilu
Onilu maintained that the ongoing diversification efforts have recorded great successes particularly in the agricultural sector, adding that the oil sector reforms have been landmark. Fuel queues have vanished, cross border smuggling of petroleum products, the subsidy racket and roundtripping by oil marketers which were all perfected under successive PDP administrations have been checked.
“Post-election, Atiku has been afforded an opportunity to defend himself on the several corruption and criminal indictments that have troubled him in his serial presidential election contests, particularly during the 2019 presidential election. Atiku has rather continued to play the ostrich.
“Instead of Atiku focussing on how to corner the 2023 presidential ticket of the PDP or any of the other political parties where he may choose to purchase his ticket, we call on Atiku, along with other PDP leaders to find the courage to return our resources and seek forgiveness from Nigerians,” the APC statement noted
