The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday charged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to wake up to a new Nigeria where the government works for the citizens not for a few interests.
The party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, who made the call in a statement in Abuja, said the decision to increase the fuel pump price and approve the hike in electricity tariff was in the best interest of Nigerians.
The statement was in response to PDP’s criticism of the Federal Government’s recent increase in petroleum pump price from N143 to N151 and the hike in electricity tariff.
The PDP, in an earlier statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, rejected the development.
“The PDP vehemently rejects the fresh increase in the price of fuel to N151 per liter and electricity tariff to N66 per kwh under the APC and its government,” the party said.
The PDP also demanded the reversal of the decisions to avert a national crisis.
However, in its response, the APC recalled that successive PDP governments foisted on the country a corruption-tainted fuel subsidy regime.
The party urged the PDP to surprise itself and Nigerians by cajoling its cronies who ran the subsidy rackets, adding that many of them were in hiding abroad.
It stressed that the opposition party should cajole such persons to return “the country’s stolen commonwealth in their possession.’’
The party added that under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the tortuous fuel queues as a result of biting scarcities were gone.
According to APC, the reviewed petroleum products pricing template initiated by the government had resulted in a more transparent, efficient and realistic pricing system for petroleum products.
This, the party insisted had also resulted in a constant availability of fuel nationwide.
The statement read: “The attention of the APC has been drawn to a shameless statement by PDP on the current petrol price and electricity tariff in the country.
“The pricing template now reflects competitive and market-driven components which is supported by the citizenry.
“In an effort by this administration to put an end to estimated and arbitrary billing for electricity, President Buhari recently directed a nationwide mass metering programme for electricity consumers in the country.”
