The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to address economic hardship in the country, saying the cost of living is going high.
The PDP governors also called on Tinubu’s government to strive hard to address insecurity in Nigeria.
The governors said this in a communique issued at the end of their meeting and read by the chairman of the forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, in Abuja on Monday, February 12, 2024.
Mohammed said the governors at the meeting reviewed the state of the nation and the hardship being faced by Nigerians as a result of the economic and security challenges facing the country.
He said: “The forum consequently urges the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency embark on initiatives involving all the sub-national governments to bring a lasting solution to the crises.
“The PDP governors will continue to play their part in the effort to bring security and succour to our people.
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“To this end, we reiterate our call for state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any tier of government.”
Fielding questions from journalists, Mohammed said the opposition governors were working closely with Tinubu led-Federal Government on addressing some of the challenges facing the nation.
The governor, who said Nigerians voted for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, noted that while the PDP respected the sensibilities and sense of judgement of the citizens, it had remained the most democratic and experienced party in the country.
He added: “What we are doing is giving positive criticism to the obnoxious policies of the federal government.
“But at the onset of this administration, we supported the removal of subsidy, we believed that there were safeguards, we believed that if we took collective decisions, we should go by it.
“But certainly, we have seen that it is a free fall for the naira. The cost of living is going high, we are almost on the road to Venezuela.
“So we are giving concrete opposition but not insulting anybody. But ultimately the decision squarely rests with Nigerians and other organs in the country to make sure that we do things that will bring succour to all of us.”
Mohammed said the governors also reviewed recent developments in the PDP and committed to leading efforts to revamp the party to serve as an effective opposition in Nigeria.
He added that the PDP governors were 100 per cent behind the party leadership on the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
The governor said: “There is no rancour, there is no division and we are very much behind the National Working Committee (NWC).
“We are behind the state chapter of the party and indeed the state governor to make sure that we go together in unison to produce a successor for the most respected eldest governor in the governors’ forum.”
