2023: New PDP Chairman Lists APC’s Sins, Serves Ruling Party Quit Notice

The newly inaugurated national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu has told the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to start preparing its handover notes.

Ayu made the call on Friday in his inaugural address shortly after he and other new members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) were sworn in.

As earlier reported by Ezenwoko's Blog, Ayu and other NWC members of the PDP were sworn in at a ceremony held at the International Convention Center in Abuja.

The PDP boss alleged that the APC has inflicted nothing but suffering and hardship on Nigerians since it took over power in 2015.

The former Senate President said within the six years in office, APC has damaged the good economy it inherited, caused several job losses, clamped down on free speech, promoted ethnic and religious conflicts, and failed in curbing security challenges.

He, therefore, said such atrocities can't be allowed to continue as Nigerians are tired and the PDP is coming back in 2023.

“To the APC, we, once again, renew our quit notice on you. Begin to prepare your handover notes,” he submitted.

“From the biggest economy in 2015, the APC has given the country two recessions and turned Nigeria into the Poverty Capital of the world. Today, close to 40 million Nigerians have no jobs.

“In the last six years, the APC-led government has mismanaged our diversity; divided the country along regional and religious lines. It has exacerbated religious tensions in the country.

“And through its marriage to nepotism, the incompetent APC Federal Government is fueling secessionist agitations in the East and West of Nigeria.

“Your Excellencies, party faithful, very distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our dear Nigeria is drifting dangerously towards a failed state. Terrorists are now sharing sovereignty with Nigeria. Nigeria is simply ungoverned. Nigeria is collapsing under the leadership of a retired general!

“The APC used both the mainstream media and the social media to access power. Today, it coordinates a systematic assault on the media, civic freedoms and freedom of speech.

“Let me give you the grim legacy of the APC: Two economic recessions in six years. A sluggish GDP growth rate of below two per cent.

“About 40 million Nigerians have been pushed into extreme poverty in six years. Inflation is at an all-time high at 18%.

“A weak and devalued Naira; devalued by over 300% since 2015, has made our currency the worst in Africa.

“Unemployment now stands at 33%. Meaning: Close to 40 million Nigerians, willing and able to work, can't find jobs.

“A total debt stock of over $90 billion now hangs over Nigeria. An erratic exchange rate regime has depleted N324 against the US dollar in the last six years.

“Kidnapping for ransom is now big business. We share sovereignty with terrorists who kidnap and rape our women, including our mothers and under-aged children. The terrorists even kill them when the ransom is delayed.

“There are not political alarms, but statements of facts.”

Ayu however promised that the PDP is set to right the wrongs of the APC, stating that the opposition party is ready to pull Nigeria back from the brinks.

He called on members of his party to join hands with him in repositioning the party to win elections in 2023.

“To Africa and the international community — we know you are worried about Nigeria. But we assure you that PDP will pull back Nigeria from the brink. PDP will not allow Nigeria to fulfil those doomsday predictions.”

“My dear compatriots, keep hope alive. Do not allow a small and rapacious cabal to destroy your faith in one, united Nigeria.

“A PDP administration will change the narrative. We will unite the people. We will deepen the content of our democracy. We will rebuild our collapsed economy.

“We will make Nigerians the focus of development. We will expand our international vision beyond Niger Republic.

“We will check the rampaging insecurity. We will restore Nigeria's lost glory.

“And we will reclaim our dignity, destiny and pride as the Giant of Africa.”

Ayu said the APC has learnt from the past mistakes which allowed the APC to take over power in 2015, saying though the challenges of staging a comeback might be high, it is a task that must be achieved.

“We are not unmindful of our missed steps and actions in the past, but we have learnt our lessons, both in government and in opposition. Today, we stand tall, and with a firm resolve to rebuild our great party and rescue our nation.

“The PDP is the only organic political party in Nigeria that has remained a credible, tested, tasted and trusted mass movement since the return of democracy in 1999. Other political parties have either fizzled away or merged with others.

“Some have mutated into a contraption like the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), without any clear ideology or a coherent programme of action. This contraption seduced Nigerians with propaganda in 2015. Today, Nigerians have seen the limit of propaganda and demagoguery. The only thing the APC is doing successfully is irresponsible borrowing.

“The PDP, on the other hand, has a history of performance and legacy achievements. In our 16 years m power, we not only gave Nigerians good governance, we also strengthened democratic institutions so as to add value to the people. In an unprecedented move, we stabilized our democracy by sanitizing the armed forces of politically exposed officers.

“We gave Nigeria her first-ever successful transition from one civilian administration to another in 2007. To the disbelief of all watchers of African politics, we willingly conceded defeat in 2015 and handed over power to an opposition party in 2015.

“It was the PDP-Federal Government that created value-adding public institutions like the EFCC, ICPC, NAFDAC, the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) among many others.

“The PDP administration also strengthened the governance process by enacting laws to effectively drive public administration in Nigeria, namely: the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework, the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information Systems (IPPIS) just to mention a few.

“We negotiated and obtained forgiveness of over $30 billion of debt, making Nigeria almost a debt-free country. Foreign direct investments flowed in.

“Cumulatively, the foregoing made Nigeria, not only the fastest growing economy in Africa but also the biggest economy on the continent.”

“But I stand here today, not to merely recount APC's spectacular failures. I stand here to assure you that PDP is back to Rescue and Rebuild Nigeria,” he declared.