Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will run the Nigerian economy aground if not voted out on February 14, saying already the party has killed the nation’s currency, the naira.
Speaking at two separate rallies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Agbede, Etsako West Local Government Area and at Udaba, Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, Oshiomhole said the PDP is clueless on how to handle the economy and have left the economy worse than they met it in 1999.
He said: “when the PDP took over power in 1999, the naira was better than it is today. Now they have killed the naira. Today, a dollar is equivalent to 210 naira, that means cost of products, especially imported products have all gone up and all the basic things needed by the poor have all gone up as a result of the devaluation of the naira.”
The Governor says the PDP only tells Nigerians empty promises of what they intend to do, saying “the PDP is full of promises. They keep telling you we will do this, we will do that, whereas APC believes in eye-mark. We show you what we have done and what we intend to do more.”
He said, “We are victims of 16 years of darkness imposed on our country by a party that is led by rogues. According to their National Chairman, theirs is a party that doesn’t have justice, that doesn’t have fairness even to its own members. Theirs is party that is based on the principles of slaves working for the benefit of a few privileged masters. That is what their Chairman said.
“When their Chairman says his party is based on these principles, who are the slaves working and who are the privileged masters? PDP leaders are the privileged masters benefitting from the system and the Nigerian people are the slaves working for them. That is a reason why you must kick out these masters”, he said.
Oshiomhole continued, “Why do we want to get rid of PDP leadership in Abuja? We have seen in Edo State a replica of the Nigerian story. The typical PDP legacy was to destroy our system. The changes we have brought to the state replacing PDP legacy of poverty, abandonment, degradation and rottenness is an emphatic statement about the infinite possibility that exist if we have a leader with the fear of God.
“For 16 years, they spent over $30 billion in the energy sector. The more dollar they spend, the more darkness they bring yet they keep bringing exorbitant bills that even the average villagers can’t pay. This is how PDP extort money from even the poorest of the poor.”
Announcing plans of the state Government to build a dam in the Agbede area, Governor Oshiomhole said, “We tried to dig boreholes here and discovered it doesn’t bring the kind of water we want. We have now decided to work on a dam. That is the best way to get water for Agbede Area.
“We want to dam the Aviele River so that we can pipe the water to the city. We believe that dam will be the best answer. With that one, you will have water 24 hours of the day . Even during the dry season, the water gathered during the rainy season will last up to the following year because it is a river that it flows from. We will make sure that is done”, he assured.
Oshiomhole further said, “At the time I assumed office, there was not one road done in Afemai land but now, we have worked on many roads and we still have two years under my own tenure and we will do the remaining ones. Those we can’t finish, once we start it, the next person will be able to complete it. That is why we need a government that must continue.
Governor Oshiomhole while presenting the Party’s flag bearers urged the people to vote wisely for all APC candidates in the forthcoming elections as PDP government at all level have shown gross incompetence in the last 16 years.
The APC candidates presented by the Governor include Barrister Francis Alimikhena for Senate, Edo North Federal Constituency, Hon. Philip Shaibu, for Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Gani Audu for Edo State House of Assembly, Etsako West 1 Constitiency; Dr. Gowon Yakubu for Edo State House of Assembly, Etsako West 11 Constituency and Barr. Damian Lawani , Edo State House of Assembly, Etsako Central Constituency.
