APC defends Tinubu’s new year message, blasts PDP for irrationality

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for dismissing President Bola Tinubu’s new year message as “empty and uninspiring”.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC accused the PDP of being “incapable of serving as a sensible or credible opposition party” and exhibiting “nagging irrationality” that is “a blight on our democracy”.

The APC praised President Tinubu for delivering a “measured, sensitive, articulate, highly presidential and an excellent fit for the purpose and occasion” new year address, in which he acknowledged the challenges facing the nation and reaffirmed his commitment to tackle them.

The APC also highlighted some of the achievements and promises of the Tinubu administration, such as fixing power and energy challenges, locally refining petroleum products, crashing prices of products, creating jobs, enabling a more favourable business environment, tackling insecurity, expanding food security and affordability, implementing new minimum wage for workers, and more.

The APC said that signing the 2024 budget into law on New Year’s Day was “further evidence of the President walking the talk” and urged Nigerians to “stand fast with the APC administration of President Tinubu as he delivers on his electoral promise to secure improved living conditions for all”.

The APC also slammed the PDP for being “haughty” and “willfully blind” to the administration’s “bold and courageous efforts to raise the bar for sustainable growth and development of our country”.

The PDP had earlier issued a statement on Monday, in which it described President Tinubu’s new year message as “a rehash of false claims, empty promises and lame excuses” and said that the President had “failed woefully” to address the “burning issues” affecting the nation.

Morka said, “Democratic opposition politics is not exactly about being a masterclass of incivility or casting crude aspersions without justification.”

He further added, “Both in tone and substance, President Tinubu’s New Year address was measured, sensitive, articulate, highly presidential and an excellent fit for the purpose and occasion it was delivered.

“The President addressed Nigerians with candour, sensitivity and attentiveness of a kind unknown to the PDP in its 16 years of reckless, and never again, rule.

“PDP’s nagging irrationality is a blight on our democracy.”