The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) has urged Nigerians not to despair, as this Christmas would be their last under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC).
But the President has told the opposition PDP that it’s living in a dream world, saying 2018 Christmas is the best for Nigerians in recent time.
Director, Media and Publicity of PPCO, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a message to mark this year’s Christmas, called on Nigerians to collectively resolve to vanquish oppressive forces and build a peaceful, united and prosperous country, where all citizens will live without fear.
“The birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour, signifies the triumph of light over darkness and offers Nigerians the new hope and spiritual impetus in their shared quest for a brighter future for our nation under a new administration,” the party said.
It lamented the ugly situation in which Nigerians could not celebrate Christmas as they used to do prior to the emergence of Buhari as president in 2015.
PDP, however, said Nigerians should not despair as its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has perfected templates to revamp the economy and ease suffering in the country if elected president next year.
“The Atiku Abubakar policy document shows his commitment to entrench greater participation of our citizens in economic activities in various sectors, as against the Buhari exclusionist system, where our collective patrimony is only accessed by a cabal in the presidency and corrupt APC leaders.
“In the same vein, the Atiku Abubakar policy document shows practical intervention in infrastructure and policy drive, in such a manner that guarantees rapid inflow of investments, which will in turn, revamp our ailing productive sectors, create jobs, boost the value of the naira and increase the purchasing power of Nigerians from this abysmally low level under President Buhari, to one of the most competitive in the world.
“Moreover, Atiku Abubakar offers a new era of justice, equity, inclusiveness and respect for our national diversities as against the injustice, nepotism, disdain for the rights of citizens and corrupt body language with which the Buhari presidency fouled our system, brought hardship, escalation of violence and bloodletting in our country.
“Nigerians should, therefore, celebrate this year’s Christmas, focusing on the brighter future that awaits our nation under Atiku Abubakar as the next president and not on the pessimism and promise of more suffering by President Buhari,” the statement added.
However, the spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of APC, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), dismissed the threat by the PDP to make this Christ the last for the Buhari regime. Keyamo described this statement as daydreaming and an act of desperation.
“They are living in Lalaland – a dream world. It’s a place where people dream of good things. So when they are saying that President Buhari is celebrating his last Christmas in office, they are living in Lalaland. It is the height of desperation on their part.
“The truth of the matter is that what they have said is part of their usual lies in the face of clear statistics and logic. Let them continue to live in their Lalaland; let them continue to live in their dream world until Nigerians decide their fate precisely on February 16, 2019,” he said.
Keyamo told New Telegraph that contrary to the assertion by the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, the current Christmas remains Nigeria’s best in recent years because it was devoid of fuel shortage, long queues at filling stations and hardship in transportation.
“Let me just remind them: This is about the best Christmas that Nigerians are enjoying because there is no fuel scarcity at all. During their time, it was a traditional thing during Christmas time that the fuel queues will return.
At that time, even though pump price of fuel was N97 per litre, people were buying fuel at N300 or N400 per litre at the end of the day. So the official pump price of fuel at that time was nothing but a ruse and unsustainable. But right now, even though fuel sells at N145 per litre, you can see that there is stability in both the price and availability of the product.
“Nigerians are enjoying one of the best Christmas ever sure of free flow of transportation. Before, by this time, people could not travel because of fuel scarcity and hike in transport fare,” he said.
