Governors elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have advised President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to resign over the state of the nation if they cannot provide sustainable solutions.
The opposition governors said the buck ultimately stops at Tinubu’s table as the ‘chief executive officer’ of Nigeria, the President and commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation, the chief salesman and leader of Nigeria.
The governors, under the aegis of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF), said the hardship and suffering being experienced by Nigerians have no tribal, religious or party colouration, adding that APC sought power to solve Nigeria’s problems not to compound them or shift blame, or grandstand or use propaganda to confuse the issues.
The PDP-GF made the fresh call in a statement signed by its director-general, Hon. CID Maduabum, on Saturday as a response to the minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who lampooned the PDP governors for earlier comparing Nigeria to Venezuela over the state of the country.
The minister had said the PDG governors’ comment was laced with mischief as most of them had defaulted in the payment of minimum wage, gratuities and pensions in their States.
But, the PDP governors, in the response, told the APC-led government that it sought power to solve the problems of Nigeria not to compound them or shift blame, or grandstand or use propaganda to obfuscate or confuse the issues.
The opposition governors said: “It must be noted that even though Nigeria is a federation, there is indeed only one economy.
“Hardship and suffering being faced by Nigerians have no tribal, religious or party colouration. A hungry man is an angry man.
“While all tiers of government have a role to play, the APC led Federal Government has a disproportionate role to play in mobilising Nigerians and all organs and tiers of government for sustainable solutions.
“If it can not do so or is unable to do so, it should graciously throw in the towel.
“Attempts by the Honourable Minister of Information, APC Governors’ Forum and other officials of the Federal Government who criticised the PDP Governors’ Forum for their patriotic intervention should be guided by the fact that the APC sought power to solve the problems of Nigeria not to compound them or shift blame, or grandstand or use propaganda to obfuscate or confuse issues.”
The governors further said that states which they govern are comparatively the best in Nigeria in terms of developmental policies, programmes, and projects that benefit their states positively, regular payment of salaries, pensions, gratuities, and minimum wage to their workforce.
“State governments that are delinquent on these issues are not of PDP extraction. It is false to say so.
“Even the food crises are exacerbated by insecurity and high exchange rate issues, among others, which are largely federal subjects.
“The PDP Governors as stakeholders in governance would continue to work collaboratively with Mr. President to find lasting solutions to a very difficult situation created or exacerbated by the APC since 2015. We believe in co-operative federalism.
“The buck ultimately stops at Mr. Presidents table as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation, the Chief Salesman and leader of Nigeria.
“We are not in doubt that he is trying his best. We only hope and pray that his best is good enough to take Nigeria out of the woods in the shortest possible time,” the PDP governors stated.
