Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Senator Bukola Saraki and ex-Sports minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday passed a damning verdict on President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The trio accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government of impoverishing Nigerians.
They spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, at presentation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates for the 2015 elections in the state.
Abdullahi said Nigerians are more economically impoverished than six or seven years ago, adding that yet they claimed that “our economy is improving.”
He said: “When Senator Bukola Saraki was the governor of the state, many of our supporters and members could afford to build houses and buy cars, but these days the text messages we receive border on money to keep body and soul together. They now want us to continue in that our hunger status for another four years. To add insult on injury they say the country’s gross domestic product is increasing, that the Nigeria’s economy is one of the best in Africa.
“The money that the PDP people are filtering away is what they term GDP. That is none of our business, I urge us all to cast our votes for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the next month presidential election and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in the governorship election.
“In March 2014, when President Goodluck Jonathan came to Ilorin, then I was the minister of sports, they said I should mount the podium at this same metropolitan square and haul abuses at Senator Bukola Saraki. But being a true son of Ilorin, I cannot not bite the finger that feed me, it was the same Saraki that brought me from Lagos and made me a special assistant, from special assistant to special adviser. As if that was not enough, the then governor of Kwara State appointed me as a commissioner and subsequently nominated me for ministerial job.
“This, our leader has foresight, he told us before our defection from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC that PDP was like a sinking ship. It was then that some people felt they would sit by the driver of sinking ship. The Senator also told us then that PDP is a God forsaken party.”
Governor Ahmed said that the financial emasculation of the state has hampered infrastructural development.
“The dwindling allocation from Abuja notwithstanding, the state government has not defaulted in paying workers’ salaries as at and when due. We have not relented in creating jobs for our teeming youths.
“I urge us all to close rank and sweep PDP-led government away at all levels. The other day, I told you that PDP’s umbrella was already leaking. That is apparent to all of us now,” the governor stated.
Saraki said,“if the President Jonathan could not control Nigerian economy when one barrel of crude oil was over $100 per barrel, how can he manage the economy when a barrel is about $50?”
“PDP says that we are abusing Mr. President. We are not abusing Mr. President. We have all the respect for the Presidency, we are talking of facts and figures. PDP and Mr. President promised Nigerians security is their security today? You promised power, is there light today? You promised to fight corruption, is there any change today? You promised to provide job for all our youths, any job today. These are not present today. We are not being personal, we are talking about issues.
