By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday described the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party of “political vampires” who thrive and relish in “sucking the blood” of citizens and foisting excruciating pain and hardship on Nigerians.In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, the PDP further described the APC as a haven of power-grabbers, treasury looters and manipulators who are only out to “grab, snatch and run” with our national patrimony at the expense of millions of our citizens.

The PDP condemned the APC’s attack on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for speaking out for the Nigerian masses who have been subjected to untold hardship by the APC administration, describing the attack as reckless, insensitive and reprehensible display of arrogance in failure. “The attack on Governor Makinde also confirms that the APC is jittery that its days are numbered as Nigerians have seen through its lies, subterfuge, falsehood, suppressive policies and crass incompetence in governance. “Governor Makinde remains a credible and effective leader with astonishing record of performance not only in prioritizing the needs of the people of Oyo State as evident in the numerous development projects in the State but also working with other governors elected on the platform of the PDP in the quest for development, sustenance of democracy and resistance to APC’s scheme to turn Nigeria into a One-Party State.“It is indeed an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians that in the midst of worsening insecurity, biting economic hardship, widespread hunger and starvation, comatose infrastructure, crippled productive sector, weakened currency, closure of millions of businesses with over 36% unemployment rate, hopelessness and general despondency all occasioned by the irresponsible anti-people policies of the APC administration, the APC is living in alternate reality, arrogantly claiming that Nigeria is “on the cusp of prosperity”. “Our Party finds it preposterous that the APC thinks that it can continue to hoodwink citizens with lies and harvest of false performance claims when it has failed on all fronts, reversed all the gains made in the 16 years of the PDP in governance and turned our once economically thriving nation into the poverty capital of the world, where over 100 million Nigerians are no longer able to afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life. “Today, under the APC voodoo economy, the Naira which exchanged for N168 to the Dollar under the PDP now exchanges for almost N2,000 per Dollar, petrol which sold for N87 per liter now sells for over N1,500 in various parts of the country; a bag of rice which sold for N8,000 now sells for over N100,000, a measure of beans which sold for N250 now sells for N3,800 while a measure of garri which sold for N100 now sells for N1,500. “More distressing is that while Nigerians are experiencing harrowing hardship, corrupt APC leaders are busy looting the nation’s treasury to fund their luxury appetite and consumption.“It is therefore not surprising that as the day progresses toward 2027, the APC is resorting to manipulation of data, politicization of issues and personal attacks on outspoken Nigerians as being witnessed in its outburst against Governor Makinde. “Such attacks by the APC cannot fly as Governor Makinde and indeed other PDP governors are massively delivering on their mandates as witnessed in the astounding infrastructural, human capital and citizen empowerment projects going on in PDP States to the admiration of Nigerians. Indeed, PDP States continue to be Oasis of Development compared to APC controlled States.“The APC should end its shenanigans, accept failure and come to terms with the fact that its lifespan in the face of abysmal failure in governance cannot last beyond February 2027 when the PDP and Nigerians will send it to political oblivion where the APC contraption truly belongs.”