Dumebi Kachikwu, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has urged Nigerians not to support the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the general elections of 2023.
According to a statement from Kachikwu’s campaign office that was made available to newsmen in Abuja, the two parties have seriously impoverished Nigerians over the past two decades under their leadership and have earned the title of “Poverty Capital of the World.”
He said that 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, however , lamented that the country has 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 nosediving negatively on a daily basis.
He insisted that it is shameful, inhuman, ungodly, wicked and anti-people for both PDP and APC to be jostling to renew their hold on power during the 2023 general elections in spite of the fact that all indices of good governance anchored on the rule of law have remained negative since 1999 till date.
The statement reads: “Today, 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 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, 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 of that Nigerians consume 60million litres of petrol daily with over N6trillion in subsidy payments was a ruse shows that corruption yet dwells in a ministry where Buhari is 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 neigbouring countries that has 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 urged Nigerians to reinvent the progress of the country by voting in competent parties like the ADC that has the vision and candidates with the know-how to turn the fortunes of the country around for the better.
He said a situation where Nigerians are daily confronted with unmitigated hunger, poverty, poor access to healthcare and education due to the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities are all symptomatic of an uncaring and failed governance being foisted on the nation by APC and PDP.
He, therefore , called on Nigerians to reverse the trend in 2023 by voting to terminate the strangle hold on the destiny of Nigeria and Nigerians by the APC and PDP.
