The Peoples Democratic Party has charged the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to respond to allegations that he is the promoter of the increase in VAT, electricity tariff, import duties, Stamp Duty, fuel price hike as well as other exploitative tolls by the APC Federal Government, from which he allegedly benefits through many stooges in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other revenue generating agencies of government.
In a statement signed and delivered to the Atlantic Post in Abuja by PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, the party described Asiwaju as a huge baggage to the APC.
The PDP told Tinubu that there is a daily exodus of millions of APC members across the country into the PDP because of him, as over 5 million APC members have defected to the PDP because of him.
The party added that in the Lagos State axis, his supposed stronghold, close to one million APC members have decamped to the PDP since his emergence as APC Presidential Candidate.
The PDP claims that Nigerians are appalled by what it described as yet another attempt by Tinubu to divert attention from the main issues of the failures of the APC government by making derogatory remarks on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The party stated that such fixation on the PDP only exposes Asiwaju Tinubu as a paper candidate who is confused, nervy and intimidated by PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and the achievements of the PDP, “which stare him in the face in mortal fear of failure ahead of the 2023 general elections.”
“Unlike the APC that is dead, the PDP is not only alive and existing as acknowledged by Asiwaju Tinubu in his statement, but also strong, united and focused on its mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the misrule of the APC.
“It is distressing that Asiwaju Tinubu speaks like someone under the influence with incoherent discourse and absence of mind that further expose a lack of capacity for leadership especially at the Presidential level.
“It is rather shameful that the APC Presidential Candidate alluded to the nation’s railway system which was revitalized by the PDP administration but painfully surrendered to terrorists and bandits by the APC government.
“From his incoherent discourse, the APC Presidential Candidate appears to be battling with issues of ethical challenges and ineligibility to contest election on account of inconsistencies in his educational qualifications, name, ancestry, age, corruption allegations among myriads of issues.
“Moreover, Nigerians have realized the futility of Asiwaju’s non-existent and heavily concocted achievements, influence, leadership prowess and skills.
“Nigerians gave Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu the benefit of the doubt but he failed them by engineering a deceitful government leading to the ugly indices of insecurity and bloodletting, economic hardship, unemployment, disunity and low life expectancy imposed on our nation in the last seven years.
“He should know that Nigerians are aware that he is in the Presidential race not to serve but to gain control of the nation’s treasury so as to expand his exploitative enterprise and economic empire beyond Lagos State,” the PDP further stated.