By Akeem Oyetunji The leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been charged to urgently constitute a Shadow Cabinet to monitor the activities of each of the newly appointed APC-led government ministers.
Deputy Senate President and chieftain of the PDP, Ike Ekweremadu, who gave the advice on Thursday, said it was necessary to benchmark the ruling party’s promises during the electioneering campaign.
Ekweremadu spoke on Thursday at a one-day conference in Abuja on rebranding the party with the theme: “PDP and the Sustenance of Democratic Ideals in Nigeria”.
He posited that the ruling party made lots of promises during the campaign more than they could deliver, adding that the PDP must continue to take government officials to task.
In a Parliamentary System, the party in opposition always constitutes a shadow cabinet that monitors government activities. Should this come into fruition, the PDP will appoint shadow cabinet members that will monitor the activities of each of the existing 25 ministries and their ministers.
Speaking further, Ekweremadu said, “We must not deter in holding the APC-led Federal Government accountable. The ruling party must always be put at the mercy of the truth. That is the job of the opposition: to confront errors with the truth; to stand up for what is right; to offer constructive criticisms of the follies and errors of the ruling party; and to proffer better ideas for moving the nation forward.
“We need to urgently set up a Shadow Cabinet to benchmark the APC-led Federal Government on its promises. It is the greatest service we can offer to Nigeria and her democracy at this time. That is our task. Citizens and indeed posterity will not be kind to us if we fail in these laudable goals.
“I also call on the media and Civil Society organizations to join hands with us in this regard in the interest of our nation.
“As could be seen from the events of the past few months, it is evident that while a party may ride to power on the wings of propaganda, it takes more than propaganda to govern well and retain goodwill. The APC won by promising much more than they could deliver, hoping to deliver less. Unfortunately, the chicken has come home to roost sooner than anticipated. No campaign promise, I repeat, no promise made by the present APC administration has been kept.
“They promised to scale up the exchange rate of our currency to a Naira to one US Dollar. Have they kept this promise? They promised to bring back the Chibok girls in three months. Have they brought back the Chibok Girls? They promised to pay N5, 000 to 25 million unemployed youths.
“Have they paid a kobo to any youth? They promised free meals to our children in the schools. Have they given any? They recently promised to end the Boko Haram insurgency in December 2015. We earnestly hope and pray that this particular promise is kept in the overall interest of our nation.
“It is worthy of note that despite the promised Eldorado, the APC-led administration has driven our economy to the point where they confess that the nation is broke. Inflation has nearly hit double digits high, rising to 9.4 percent in October from 9.3 per cent in September.
“Unemployment rate has hit the rooftop since May 2015, with the construction industry laying off tens of thousands of workers. There is massive job loss in the banking sector. Many businesses are being grounded because they can no longer buy spare parts or restock from Europe, China, Dubai, among others.
“The system is locked down. The capital market has lost over N400 billion in recent months. This nosedive is due mainly to the free fall of the Naira, absence of clear economic direction, delay in the appointment of ministers, the cramping monetary policy of the administration, and the exclusion of Nigeria from the J.P Morgan Bond Index. Indeed, recession stares us in the face.”
He expressed optimism that the PDP will rise again.
