The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday noted that it was a miracle to survive under President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the year 2021 that just passed.

In its New Year message, the party rejoiced with Nigerians on the dawning of the New Year, 2022, urging them to use the occasion to rekindle the virtues of love, unity, social justice as well as the quest for good governance in our country.

The PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, noted that surviving the year 2021 under the repressive, treasury-looting, completely rudderless and lying APC-led administration not only calls for a sober reflection but also for an unwavering determination to rescue the nation from misrule.

“It is indeed a miracle that our nation survived the last six years of massive human rights violation, abuse of process, extra-judicial killings, stagnated infrastructure, excruciating economic hardship, escalated terrorism, mass killings and unbridled treasury-looting that have characterized the arrogant and incompetent APC administration.

“The New Year, therefore, presents us as a nation with the special opportunity to put aside all forms of divisiveness, fear and narrow-mindedness and pursue a new beginning; to patriotically confront the challenges of bad governance and work as one people to salvage our nation in line with the Rescue and Rebuild mission of the PDP.

“We must therefore as a people, brace up and use all facilities within the ambit of the law to firmly resist the divisive machinations, propaganda, lies, (such as reeled out by the Federal Government on Thursday, December 30, 2021) as well as the electoral manipulations and rigging devices of the APC and its government.

“Of course, the APC and its government have lined up many more litany of lies, false promises and fake performance claims which they intend to dish out as new year messages in a fresh bid to hoodwink the people and continue in their culture of impunity and recklessness.

“Our Party counsels the APC to desist from such as Nigerians no longer believe the highfalutin lies and deception of the APC, having realized and admitted the error of not asking for a proper dissection, direction and interrogation of the promised change by a bunch of inchoate sailors clobbered together for one purpose, to wit: hijack the people’s trust for remote private gains,” the party said.

The PDP counsels the APC and its government that they should rather use the New year to review their anti-people policies, end their corruption and take urgent steps towards economic recovery by adopting a more transparent and inclusionist approach to governance; investing more in our productive sectors and being open to suggestions and constructive criticisms from Nigerians.

“On security, the APC government must get committed to the fight against terrorism by adopting proactive measures including extensive intelligence gathering for tactical operations. Furthermore, Nigerians expect the Buhari Presidency and the APC to use the New Year to apologize for their atrocities by showing empathy to the families of the victims of mass killings under their watch and prepare to exit our political scene in 2023.

“On our part, the PDP is repositioned and already leading the charge to Rescue and Rebuild our country. This mission is paramount in our collective quest for a prosperous and secure nation,” the PDP said.

Meanwhile, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in his new year message, urged Nigerians to give thanks and adulation to God for the opportunity to witness a brand new year, 2022.

According to him, the outgone year came and went with challenges, especially with the second, third and fourth waves of the dreaded Corona Virus Disease; sundry upsets that troubled the peace and security in different parts of the country; a depressing economy and many touching stories of tragedies, adding, “for Nigerians, who lost dear ones to these calamities, it is my prayer that God shall continue to comfort the bereaved families.

But this New Year, 2022 promises to be a remarkable one. It is one year that is filled with hope and optimism. It is one year that comes with a unique opportunity for us to redefine the remainder of this decade. Moving forward into the decade of the 2020s, our New Year resolution should be about eschewing divisive and parochial tendencies and embracing inclusion and the general good.

"We cannot continue to kick the same can down the road, yet again. We need a reawakening. And it is a reawakening that must invigorate our unity as one people of one good country. That is the commitment that we must pursue in this New Year. We must seek to do something different and, in doing so, let us become peace ambassadors of God. Hate and strife never build a nation. They even destroy the individual faster. Rather, unity and understanding bind a nation together,” the party said.

(Daily Independent)

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