Abuja- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to show any project executed in any sector of the economy during his tenure as head of state.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Olisa Metuh, who stated this in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said that it was a known fact that Buhari did not develop the country while in government.
According to Metuh, when juxtaposed with the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan’s democratically elected government, it becomes clear that Buhari is not and cannot be a match for Jonathan.
He said that the APC flag-bearer lacked team spirit which was a principal component of public-private-partnership and critical for national development.
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He said that while Buhari suspended the nation’s Constitution and led Nigerians by the nose, Jonathan exhibited excellent democratic credentials by enhancing the rule of law.
‘’Nigerians, including Buhari’’, he said, ‘’now relish all kinds of personal freedoms which he denied the citizens during his rule’’.
“While Buhari enacted Decree 4 of 1984 with which he abolished the freedom of the Press, Jonathan not only signed into law the Freedom of Information Act, but also consolidates the rule of law in the country.
“While the Buhari administration carried out extra-judicial killings of innocent Nigerians using widely condemned retroactive law, President Jonathan has never trampled on the rights of any Nigerian.
‘’Jonathan has instead, remained sincere, humble and calm despite all unwarranted provocations,’’ Metuh said.
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On education, he said that the APC candidate did build a single school during his regime as head of state and never cared for the educational advancement of any part of the country, including the North.
But, he said that Jonathan revamped the education sector and established 14 new universities across the country in two years, adding that the president revitalised Unity Schools and established the Almajiri system of education.
This, he said, was an innovation Buhari never thought of, adding that ‘’under him, no effort was made to revitalise the railway as an instrument of mass transport in the country.
“On his own part, President Jonathan has revived the railways. Today, our trains are back, ferrying passengers and goods along various routes across the country.
“The case is the same in the road sector, which was also neglected by Gen. Buhari as head of state, but now it is being transformed by President Jonathan.’’
Metuh added that while Buhari did nothing to enhance the power sector, Jonathan successfully unbundled the power sector with polices that encouraged massive private sector investment for greater productivity.
“Today, the neglected automobile sector has been revived and cars are now being manufactured in our country as a result of the New Automobile Policy initiated by President Jonathan,’’ he stressed.
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He challenged the APC candidate to show Nigerians the investment he made in enhancing the military and security agencies which suffered the worst type of deprivation under him.
“Nigerians are more prosperous under President Jonathan; the nation’s economy now ranks as the largest in Africa as against the situation under Gen. Buhari.
“What the nation needs now is not a return to the dark days, but to continue with President Jonathan and his transformation agenda for the benefit of all,’’ Metuh added. (NAN)
