By TAIWO AMODU, ABUJA
•Alleges APC bent on truncating democracy
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday that no administration in Nigeria’s history has achieved the feat of the Jonathan administration despite its enormous security challenges.Reacting to the declaration of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) that a fresh term for President Goodluck Jonathan in next year’s general elections could constitute a grave danger to the country, the PDP dismissed the claim as propaganda. It further accused the opposition party of desperately looking for excuses to truncate democracy. National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa
Metuh, in a statement, enunciated the achievements of the Jonathan administration in the last three years, claiming that “it was on record that no administration in the recent history of Nigeria achieved in its first three years, up to what President Jonathan has so far done despite unprecedented security challenges.”
The statement reads in part: “In the past three years , the Jonathan administration has squarely tackled massive infrastructural development with thousands of kilometres of federal roads and bridges either constructed, reconstructed or rehabilitated while the long forgotten rail system is now steaming back to life with modern coaches even as expansion of network is on-going.
“Various measures for air safety also took centre-stage with the vast expansion and rehabilitation of facilities at all federal airports in a gale of efforts that changed the face of the nation’s aviation industry in less than three years.
“Transformation also touched critical infrastructure in Agricultural Transformation Project where over six million farmers have been empowered and in housing, where the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance is anchoring a new dimension in mass affordable shelter.
“In industry and investment, an investment-friendly environment has been created, effective wealth creation mechanism ensured and competent indigenous entrepreneurs now reaping the benefits and taking centre stage in the global market competition. The course of in-flowing investments has also spurred indigenous manufacturing, even in automobiles, hitherto thought impossible.
“The Almajiri education system in the North is a creation of the Jonathan administration just like the YouWin and SURE-P projects whose excels in the improvement of living standard is obvious.
“The unbundling of the PHCN is simultaneously going on with the accompanying investment drive to ensure stability in generation and supply while the nation has also been witnessing stability in supply and pricing of petroleum products. The same goes for the expansion of the inland waterways.”
“Alas, the votes now count. A nation formerly a butt of international criticism for flawed elections has since 2011 been receiving worldwide accolades for credible conduct of elections. One man, one vote which ensured the triumph of the will of the people first in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, all won by the opposition political parties also ensured a credible Ekiti governorship poll where Governor Kayode Fayemi did not only accept his defeat as a clear verdict of Ekiti people, but congratulated the victorious PDP candidate.
“What a wacko song then is Fayemi’s party, the APC, now treating the nation to? Give the people, a credible electoral system and every other shall fall in place. This, the President has done.”
Metuh urged the APC to commend the President for this feat which he noted the opposition party “had been unwilling to allow in its enclave as Nigerians have seen in the conduct of council elections in Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Edo states.
“No doubt, the APC is afraid and bitter that its prematurely celebrated electoral fortunes, its vaunted popularity to win the 2015 election is being gradually smashed to its face as mere illusion. It lost Ekiti to popular votes and is afraid that in Osun where its divisive ideology has created an acrimonious division in its educational system amidst non-performance in other sectors, it will also fall, hence, must heap the blame on President Jonathan. The APC is clearly looking for grounds for fancied violence and subsequent truncation of democracy.”