The ruling All Progressives Congress (APÇ) has claimed that People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors are seeking more money “for their own profligate political ends”. The APC controlled Presidency made the claim last Wednesday. It accused the opposition governors of asking the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to “break the bank” to make more cash available. Besides, it said the PDP governors were asking for the revaluation of the naira, whereas “an appreciated currency would benefit those spending on luxury items abroad, being the leading desire of a typical PDP governor.
The Presidency said, “Similar profligacy and contradiction are in full view with their call on the Central Bank to appreciate the value of the Naira. This would damage exports – including oil revenues on which NNPC depends – as well as damage small businesses and employment.”
Those allegations highlighted the Presidency’s reaction to an alarm raised by the PDP governors in a communique of their forum’s meeting held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Monday. The governors accused the Federal Government of frivolous borrowing, saying that a N36 trillion debt profile was unsustainable, more so that 80 per cent of the appropriation was spent on debt servicing.
A statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Media and Publicity, to President Muhammadu Buhari, said, “The PDP Governors propose no solutions to any of our nation’s challenges in the face of COVID-19 and a global economic downturn. Instead, they grasp for more money and mourn their lack of access to social media to spread falsehoods and hate. Their statement is evidence, if any were needed, as to why the President and the APC ended the PDP’s one-party rule in 2015, were re-elected by an increased margin in 2019 and why their winning trend is set to continue far into the future.”
The statement added: “The PDP Governors’ Forum Communiqué was a spectacular demonstration to the people of Nigeria as to why this party and its representatives should not be entrusted with national leadership of our country any time soon. In bemoaning the decision by the NNPC not to make contributions to the Federation Account, the governors appear to believe NNPC can spend the same money twice – once on the petroleum subsidy which they all support and then, on their states via the Federation Account.
“NNPC is a trustee for the nation and this means it must manage its finances with prudence and for the long-term to safeguard the financial support it bestows on our country. When the governors claim a lack of federal institutions’ money pouring into their states’ coffers is an affront to democracy, constitutionalism, and federalism, they fail to mention the ugliest trend against the integrity of Nigeria comes by own hands with their refusal to support the Federal Government’s earnest desire to reinstate the local government as the third tier of government and finding a lasting solution to farmer-herder conflicts costing the nation lives and livestock.
“This initiative brings rights and support for generations of all ages to bring solutions to challenges that different communities of our country have faced but the PDP governors reject it – denying all Nigerians their constitutional right to live and work in any state of the Federation – preferring to appeal to ethnic division and hatred rather than support the first practical solution offered since independence.
“Similarly, the governors appeal to each other for more involvement of states in mining and geophysical activities within their states. The question must be asked: “Why has this taken you so long?” Such opportunities and states’ powers have been fully available since independence – yet only now the PDP realises it? And, of course, the PDP grieves over the Federal Government’s action over Twitter – for it represents the curtailment of their ability to use the platform to spread fake news and invented stories to the detriment of community and good neighbourliness between the peoples of Nigeria.”
Yes, the APC Presidency could be right to respond to provocation by the opposition and in the manner it so chooses. It could also be true that the opposition PDP ostensibly seeks to bring down the Buhari government by any means but constitutional. This we condemn. Regime change by illegal means is a coup that must not be allowed by true democrats.
That said, we wonder which states want more money to fritter away, PDP controlled ones or APC’s. The truth is that all want more funds from the federation account and all waste the money on non essentials. Take the bailouts the federal government has been giving to the states since 2016 to pay arrears of the salaries of their workers. Almos all APC governors rushed to take the credit facility, amounting to N5 billion in bailout and N310 in loans. And so did PDP States but Rivers. Did all use the money for the purpose it was given? Most did not and Buhari was rightly angry, threatening to recover it from their statutory allocations. Guilt was equally shared. APC governors were as much at fault as PDP’s. In other words, the Presidency’s claim against the latter reads like the story of the kettle and pot.
