By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Few hours after he took realms of power, the opposition Labour Party (LP) has criticized Nigeria’s new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that his Inaugural Speech was shallow and without tangible solution to the myriad of challenges being faced by Nigerians.
This is even as the party said Tinubu did not address the 2023 general election, accusing him of “gloating over an electoral victory when Nigerians know the truth about the election”.
Labour Party’s position was contained in a press statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday by Comrade Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party.
The statement titled: President Bola Tinubu’s Inaugural Speech Shallow, Without Any Tangible Solution to Myriads of Challenges Being Faced by Nigerians” read in parts: “The Labour Party is disappointed with the inaugural speech made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today which clearly exposed the shallowness and policy incongruity that his administration, while it lasts, is hoping to bequeath Nigerians.
First, the President described “the election that brought him to power as tough but fairly won”. He also said that today was the proudest day of his life. However, we consider that speech as defective in many ways. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua, recall, on the inauguration of his government did state that the election that brought him to power was flawed and imperfect but he promised that he was going to fix the electoral system.
But today, Nigerians were aghast with the boldness and glee with which Tinubu declared his election as fair. We consider this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute brigandage unleashed on them. Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that unction by the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu to “grab power and run with it”, a directive that was effected on the February 25 election day.
What was witnessed today was a celebration of lies and deceit, and that explains why the streets are like grave yards with no pomp and pageantry usually associated with a major feat like what we had today.
Again, Labour Party while campaigning told Nigerian that if given the privilege to preside, we will among other things change our economy from consumption to production and we provided tangible ways we can achieve that policy. But listening to President Tinubu today reading a speech believed to have been penned by his team, it became obvious that we are returning to the 2015 era where we had great expectations but without any means achieving them.
In the last eight years, Nigerians were constantly feed with the narratives that the previous government of the PDP brought the economic and political calamity upon the nation. In all those years, the Buhari government made little or no effort to improve upon these challenges. Nigeria is again about to be confronted with similar scenario, if not a worse scenario.
We are now calling on the highest office in Nigeria, the office of the people, not to allow this government any space to toil with the destiny of this nation again. APC ruined this nation and we must not allow a worse situation again. We must wake up to our roles of holding to accountable those in position of authority”.
