The Peoples Democratic Party has urged President Bola Tinubu to refrain from delivering a New Year address unless it offers concrete solutions to the nation’s most pressing issues, such as fuel price hikes, widespread hunger, and improving national security.
In its New Year message, the PDP expressed concern over the ineffectiveness of previous presidential addresses over the past 18 months.
The party criticized the president’s speeches for focusing on “hopeless rhetoric, unsubstantiated statistics, false promises, conjured performance claims, and validation of flawed elections,” without presenting tangible solutions to insecurity, economic recovery, job creation, or the improvement of living conditions for Nigerians.
The statement, signed by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, called on President Tinubu to directly address issues of alleged corruption, deceit, budget padding, and wasteful government spending, which have been directed towards funding the luxurious lifestyles of APC leaders. It emphasized the suffering of Nigerians under these policies and the president’s failure to fulfill government responsibilities.
The PDP also challenged the president to account for the billions of naira reportedly generated from the removal of fuel subsidies. The opposition party demanded that Tinubu follow through on his pledge to fight corruption by investigating the over N25 trillion allegedly misappropriated by APC leaders and government officials, who they claim have turned government agencies into sources of personal enrichment while the population faces extreme poverty.
Further, the PDP expressed concern over the government’s inaction on investigating incidents of state-backed violence, particularly the 2020 EndSARS killings, accusing the APC of attempting to suppress the truth about the massacre of Nigerian youths during that tragic event.
The party also lamented that the past 18 months have been the most difficult for Nigerians since the Civil War, with many citizens resorting to suicide or attempting to flee the country due to the dire conditions. It criticized the government’s refusal to reconsider policies that have exacerbated suffering, while pointing out that government officials continue to display lavish lifestyles amid widespread poverty.
In addition, the PDP warned the APC against continuing these attitudes into 2025, warning that doing so would push the patience of Nigerians to its limit. Despite the grim outlook, the PDP encouraged citizens to remain hopeful, law-abiding, and optimistic about the future. It urged Nigerians to defend the country’s democracy, demand greater accountability from the government, and resist any further violations by the APC.
The opposition party emphasized that only by returning to policies that promote stability and economic prosperity can Nigeria recover from the setbacks it has faced since the APC came to power in 2015.
In its message to welcome 2025, the main opposition party explained that this position stems from the fact that previous addresses by the president over the past 18 months have focused solely on “hopeless rhetoric, unsubstantiated statistics, false promises, conjured performance claims, and validation of flawed elections, without concrete mechanisms to address insecurity, resuscitate the economy, create jobs, ensure credible elections, and guarantee better living standards for Nigerians.”
It added: “Furthermore, Mr. President should come clean on his public commitment to fight corruption by ordering an investigation and recovery of the over N25 trillion reportedly stolen by APC leaders and officials in government, who have turned government agencies into Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to siphon funds for their benefit, while other Nigerians wallow in abject poverty, hunger, and starvation.
“Equally worrisome is the failure of the APC government to revisit and address the reported cases of alleged state-backed killings in various parts of the country, particularly the 2020 EndSARS killings and the inhuman denial of the massacre of promising Nigerian youths in that tragic and repulsive incident.
“The last 18 months have been the most excruciating period for Nigerians since the Civil War, with citizens now resorting to suicide and desperate attempts to migrate abroad due to the hopeless situation created by the anti-people policies of the suppressive, exploitative, and insensitive APC government, which continues to reject every appeal and suggestion for the review of such policies.
“More disheartening is that while Nigerians suffer from hunger and insecurity, APC leaders and government officials continue to flaunt their luxurious lifestyles in utter disdain for the plight of millions of impoverished citizens.”
