The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu has cautioned Nigerians against voting for neither the All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 saying they have put Nigeria on the brink of poverty precipice.
Kachukwu stated this yesterday in a release by the ADC presidential campaign council in Abuja.
The presidential candidate said the two parties are synonymous with greed, avarice, corruption and cluelessness and therefore should no longer be entrusted with the task of managing the rich human and material resources of a potentially great country like Nigeria.
He lamented that the country had continued to lag behind in all indices of development since 1999 when PDP assumed power which it handed over to APC in 2015.
He accused both parties of ruining the economy and impoverishing Nigerians with living conditions becoming unbearable and nose-diving negatively on a daily basis.
In spite of their abysmal performance in all fronts, Kachukwu regretted that both PDP and APC were jostling to renew their hold on power during the 2023 general elections.
“Today, the inflation rate has rallied to a 17-year high of 20.5 per cent up from 8.06 per cent in 2014 before the APC took over the reins of power at the centre in 2015, notwithstanding the humongous debt the party has amassed for the country through reckless borrowing.
“This rate of inflation simply means that the average Nigerian cannot afford their basic daily necessities like three square meals due to skyrocketing food prices and other essential services like healthcare and education for their children.
“While the cost of diesel and petrol are at an all-time high, thus leading to phenomenal increases in transportation cost with its concomitant negative effect on rising prices of goods and services, yet the minimum wage remains a paltry N30,000 per month, a far cry when compared with the jumbo pay of present political office holders.
“The APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari like its predecessor has shown great incompetence and cluelessness in prosecuting its three-pronged agenda, namely: Security, Economy, and Anti-Corruption.
“On the economic front, Nigerians have never had it this bad. Life has become a nightmare despite unprecedented budgetary allocations to defence and security agencies by the administration in the last seven years.
“Corruption has continued to grow and fester rather than abate, despite Buhari being awarded a medal as Africa’s anti-corruption champion by the African Union (AU).
“On the other hand, the anti-corruption war is being waged hypocritically as recently alluded to by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, in his speech during a workshop organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, with the theme; ‘Corruption As Threat Security In Nigeria.’
“The recent revelation by the comptroller general of customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s claim that Nigerians consume 60 million litres of petrol daily with over N6 trillion in subsidy payments was a ruse shows that corruption yet dwells in a ministry where Buhari is a minister.
“It is heartrending to note that between 2010 and 2023, the national grid collapsed 216 times, 94 of which occurred in the last seven years under Buhari.
“This unacceptable situation has not only killed once thriving small-scale businesses in the country but has regrettably led to major industries relocating to neighbouring countries that have created a growing army of unemployed Nigerians.
“Notwithstanding the APC administration’s avowed target to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, the reverse has been the case as no fewer than 95.1 million persons in the country would slide into extreme poverty at the end of 2022, according to the World Bank in its recent report titled: ‘A Better Future for All Nigerians: 2022 Nigeria Poverty Assessment,” he said
He urged Nigerians to reinvent the progress of the country by voting in competent parties like the ADC that have the vision and candidates with the know-how to turn the fortunes of the country around for the better.
