By John Alechenu, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while wishing Nigerians a happy New Year, charged President Bola Tinubu not to taint the new year with an address that will not proffer immediate and concrete steps to reduce the price of fuel and address widespread hunger.

The party equally asked the president to provide clear-cut measures to guarantee the security of lives and property in the country.

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said, “The party’s position is predicated on the fact that previous addresses by Mr. President in the last 18 months dwelt only on hopeless rhetoric, unsubstantiated statistics, false promises, conjured performance claims, and validation of flawed elections without concrete mechanisms to address insecurity, resuscitate the economy, create jobs, ensure credible elections, and guarantee better living standards for Nigerians.”

Ologunagba further said, “The PDP maintains that President Tinubu must speak to the issues of unbridled corruption, deceit, budget padding, reckless and wasteful spending directed to fund the luxury appetite of APC leaders, insensitivity to the pains of citizens, and total disregard to the obligation of government, which has made life unbearable for Nigerians under his watch.

“The Party also challenges President Tinubu to use the address to give an account of the billions of Naira officially reported to have accrued from the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

“Furthermore, Mr. President should come clean on his public commitment to fight corruption by ordering an investigation and recovery of the over N25 trillion reportedly stolen by APC leaders and officials in government who have turned government agencies into Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to syphon funds for their benefit while other Nigerians wallow in abject poverty, hunger, and starvation.

“Equally worrisome is the failure of the APC government to revisit and address the reported cases of alleged state-backed killings in various parts of the country, particularly the 2020 EndSARS killings and the inhuman denial of the massacre of promising Nigerian youths in that sad and repulsive incident.

“The last 18 months have been the most excruciating period for Nigerians since the Civil War, with citizens now resorting to suicide and slavery missions abroad due to the hopeless situation foisted by the anti-people policies of the suppressive, exploitative, and insensitive APC government, which continues to reject every appeal and suggestion for review of such policies.

“More disheartening is that while Nigerians die of hunger and insecurity, APC leaders and officials in government continue to flaunt their luxury appetite and lifestyle in utter disdain for the feelings of millions of impoverished citizens.

“The PDP cautions the APC not to carry over such an attitude into 2025, as such would further exasperate the patience and sensibility of Nigerians.

“Our party, however, urges Nigerians not to lose hope in the nation but to remain law-abiding and approach 2025 with optimism of a new dawn in their determination to defend our nation’s constitutional democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and demand for transparency and accountability in government; in firm resistance to suppression and pervasive violations by the APC.

“This, the PDP believes, is the sure step in the quest by our party and Nigerians to return our country to the path of stability and economic prosperity, which has eluded her since the calamitous coming of the APC in 2015.

“The PDP salutes Nigerians and wishes all a happy 2025.”