APC, PDP crash in Ekiti over pump price hike

The All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State have exchanged words over the upward adjustment of pump price.

The Federal Government through the Petroleum Pricing Marketing Company (PPMC) had on Wednesday jacked up the ex-depot price of petrol from N138 to N151.56 per litre, which propelled marketers to increase pump price from N148 to N162 per litre.

Decrying the manner in which the price of petroleum was jacked up without consideration for poor Nigerians, the PDP said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government is worse than the military government.

The State Chairman, Bisi Kolawole, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Raphael Adeyanju, described the action coming during the COVID-19 crisis as “ill-conceived, wicked and inhuman”.

Kolawole said the action was an eye opener for Nigerians to vote for the PDP in the 2023 election and put end to the maladministration and sufferings being inflicted on them by APC-led government.

He said it was only a government that cares less of its citizens’ welfare that would bring such a harsh policy amidst excruciating and debilitating economy caused by coronavirus pandemic.

But the APC through its State Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ade Ajayi, said the PDP was not competent to brand the ruling party as being militaristic, saying Buhari has been devising ways to clear the mess left by 16 years of PDP’s misrule in the country.

Ajayi urged Nigerians not to listen to the vituperations from the opposition, saying the party was ignorant of how petrol economy is run.

The opposition PDP said, “This is an eye opener for all Nigerians that the APC government was a mistake. It should be voted out in 2023, because no power is greater than the will of the people.

“It was sad that President Buhari could contemplate this when other nations were giving stimulus packages to private organisations and palliatives to their citizens, this failed APC government was inflicting hardship on the populace.

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“In 2014 when the former President Goodluck Jonathan increased the pump price from N65 to N100, the APC members engineered protests across Nigeria calling that government a failure. But if that was a failure, how would Nigerians describe this?”.

Kolawole advised Nigerians that only a change of government can restore normalcy to Nigerians and not protests as being suggested in some quarters.

“In my humble opinion, I don’t want Nigerians to protest, because the APC government is capable of anything. I don’t want them to be killed on the streets, but let them wait till 2023 and vote them out, that is the best way out”.

Reacting to the comment by the PDP, the ruling APC said, “The PDP was only acting and basing its criticisms on ignorance. The petrol prices are not determined by government solely, it’s by market’s demand and supply forces.

“About three months ago, the prices of petrol products went down and a litre was sold for between N120 and N100 naira. That was determined by market forces and I know the price will come down soon, all we need is patience.

“This government is trying to clear the mess left by the PDP government and gradually we could see the gains. So, the PDP should stop this shameful act, because Nigerians won’t listen to its noise.”

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