The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu has reiterated his call on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to be determined to make sacrifices and remain united for the sake of Nigerians.
Elumelu spoke on Saturday alongside other leaders of the Party at the commencement of the 2021 National Convention of the PDP at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
He said that Nigerians are eager for a new beginning that could be found in the PDP, saying that the people are yearning for freedom from, “the suppressive, incompetent, coldblooded, arrogant, treasury looting and anti-people All Progressives Congress (APC) regime.”
The Minority Leader lamented the despicable situation in Nigeria under the APC administration and said the ruling party has led the nation to the precipice.
“Their ugly agenda to balkanize and push our nation into a failed state is too evident to ignore. There is anger, frustration and hopelessness everywhere, but hope comes for our nation with our readiness to return to power.
“The last six years have been of those of gory tales of suppression of citizens, widespread extrajudicial killings, abuse of human rights, disregard to rule of law, state backed brutality, clamp down on dissenting voices and systemic injustice, leading to sectional agitations that threaten the corporate existence as a nation.
“As I address you today, the APC administration appears helpless as innocent and defenseless Nigerians are being killed on a daily basis by terrorists and bandits. Some officials of APC government have even been indicted as terrorists’ apologists. They gloat as bandits take over highways, plunder communities, take innocent school children captive and turn our nation into a large killing field.
“On the economy, the APC leaders have continued to pillage our national treasury, wrecked our once thriving economy, which was handed over to them by the PDP in 2015 and turned our dear nation into the poverty capital of the world.
“Under the PDP, with our robust and inclusionist economic policies, the middle class blossomed and hardworking Nigerians thrived in various productive sectors. Young and innovative Nigerians had opportunities to engage in constructive ventures and our economy boomed with new jobs.
“Sadly, all the gains have been reversed by the APC with its anti-people economic policies apparently tailored to impoverish Nigerians with hunger and poverty as weapons of suppression and control,” the Minority Leader noted.
Continuing, Elumelu who spoke on behalf of PDP Members in the House of Representatives said,” Today, millions of our youths are denied opportunities to engage their creative minds in fruitful ventures. When they demand for their rights, they are branded, harassed and killed.
“The APC has so deprived our citizens that over 80 million Nigerians, according to official figures, can no longer afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life as our nation ranks as 98th out 107 countries in Global Hunger Index.
“With our naira abysmally falling from about N168 to a dollar, handed over to the APC in 2015, to a distressing N570 to a dollar today; a decayed national infrastructure, stagnated productive sectors and 33.3 percent unemployment rate, our nation is in dire straits.
“In the midst of this, the APC and its administration have failed to respond to queries by the PDP on the alleged looting of over N15 trillion belonging to Nigerians by APC leaders.
“Instead, they provide official cover for their leaders and government officials who have been openly indicted for treasury looting while mortgaging the future of our nation with accumulated foreign loans.
“The APC came to power by means of lies, propaganda, deceit and false promises. They paraded as saints and painted good people as bad. Today their real colours as liars and wolves in sheep’s skin are exposed.”
While saying that Nigerians, especially the youths are happy with the positive development in the PDP and its readiness to take over power from the APC, Elumelu affirmed that the people are also ready to march with the PDP to victory in 2023.
“That is why they are already massively responding to the clarion call by our party to “Come, Let’s Rescue Nigeria Together”, the very theme of the 2021 National Convention,” the Federal lawmaker stated and said that the massive participation of Nigerians in PDP e-registration exercise and INEC voter registration ahead of the 2023 election, all point to their determination to march with the PDP to rescue the nation from APC.
“This is why we must strengthen our patriotic resolves beginning from this National Convention. We must be determined to make sacrifices and remain united for the sake of our nation,” he admonished.
While commending the PDP leaders at all levels as well as members of the Party for their collective efforts toward the success of the National Convention, the Minority Leader restated the unalloyed commitment of the Members of the party in the House of Representatives towards the task ahead and the new leadership of the party as they emerge from the National Convention.
