PDP Is A Party Of Executive Rogues – Buhari

PHOTO: FORMER MILITARY HEAD OF STATE AND PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT, GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI.

ABUJA, Sept 26, (THEWILL) - Former military Head of State and Presidential aspirant of the Congress for Progressive Change [CPC], Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the weekend posited that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has in the last 11 years of ruling the country been engaged in nothing other than 'Executive stealing''.

Buhari stated this in Abuja at a Stake holders meeting of his party adding that the PDP's handling of the country’s affairs especially how it has managed resources is appalling and described the party's performance as woeful.

He warned that recent ‘political developments in the political landscape is dicey and Nigeria is pregnant,’ while expressing the hope that there would be no abortion.

Buhari said the level of executive theft unleashed on the nation over the last 11 years, when analyzed, was so mindboggling that Nigerians should never have a misfortune of the party being foisted on them again in 2011.

Lamenting the extent of mismanagement of the nation, General Buhari who was addressing a crowd of supporters of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) from and across the 36 states and Abuja, including former House of Representative Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari and Mike Ahamba, SAN, at a National Consultative Forum in Abuja argued that the revenue that accrued to the nation between 1914 and 1999, was far less than the revenue receipt between 1999 and now which the PDP government has squandered.

Buhari, who said he was not speaking from abstract, explained that the "records provided by former Minister of Finance, Okonjo Iweala, indicated that the amount of money Nigeria realized between 1914 and 1998 was not up to the revenue realized by PDP government between 1999 and 2010."

As preparations for Nigeria's 50th Independence Anniversary, which comes up this Friday, reaches top gear, Buhari, the likely Presidential flag bearer of the CPC, described as very shameful, the fact that the country is nowhere near her contemporaries; with whom it started 50 years ago, and with resources that could be compared to those of China, Malaysia, former Soviet Union, and India.

According to the former Head of state, "50 years ago, we started like Malaysia, Brazil, China and co. Today in terms of infrastructure, manufacturing and other social services, where are these countries and where are we?''

He added that, "We used to have railway, shipping line, national air career and good government schools, railway used to be a veritable means of mass transport and haulage to spare the road of articulated vehicles, all these are gone, and this is in spite of growing huge resources which were never available before. With all the resources we can boast of, Cholera is still part of the disease we are trying to fight."

He pointed out that sadly some political gladiators were still adopting soldier tactics that they will rather die than see a new leadership emerge, especially from the progressives’ camp. "2011 is pregnant, we hope there will be no abortion," he stressed.

General Buhari however, affirmed that in spite of the threats of do or die, operation totality or capture, his determination and commitment to a new Nigeria remained unshaken. The Politician promised that his party was ready to reverse the ugly trend and that any party that is not disciplined cannot instill discipline and change things when it gets to power. He said that was what necessitated the Consultative forum, warning party members to always conduct themselves with honour and enshrine internal democracy, noting "whoever wants to contest any position from councillorship to President must go through the required process, you must submit to the choice of the people."

Cautioning party stalwarts against running foul of the law, he said "we don’t want any of our members to be caught with gun or any metal object during election or any other time. Do everything with honour. This is why I left ANPP, they gave me the ticket to run for presidency two times, they were ready to give me the third time, but I had to quit''.

"We have to work hard and dislodge the thieves; we will stop the executive theft when we get to power. The textile industries used to employ hundreds of thousands of workers, but today most of the factories have locked up. What has happened, sheer indiscipline and corruption. We will revamp the railway system, bring back infrastructure and generate employment," Buhari assured.

Earlier in his address of welcome, National Chairman of the Party, Senator Rufai Hanga said the party is sending a clear message that a new order is in the offing and that Nigerians should be prepared for a change in 2011.

He noted that CPC was the new hope of the common man and it was prepared to stop the on-going political hara-kiri and make life more meaningful for the people.