APGA blames Abia backwardness on PDP misrule

Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has come down hard on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state blaming the backwardness of the state on the party’s 20 years misrule.

In a release titled “APGA access the living in Abia- console Abia citizens” and endorsed by Abia State chairman of the party, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, APGA said that the heart of its members bleed daily for the continuous hardship the PDP-led government has brought on the people of the state.

“Our heart bleeds daily for the continuous hardship, suffering and decay in the state which is making life miserable. It is both sad and shocking that after 20 years of democratic rule, Abia state is the only south-eastern state, perhaps in Nigeria as a whole that is worst in all aspects of developmental indices than it was before PDP took over political and economic control of the state”.

Ehiemere enumerated some of the factors that have pulled the state in her present backwardness to include “Imposition of persons that lack leadership qualities as leaders, god-fatherism, refusal to allow people’s vote to count, insensitivity of politicians to the plight of citizens, civil service degradation, abysmal neglect of maintenance of basic amenities and rising corruption”.

The APGA state chairman said whereas other states in the south east have extricated themselves from the monstrous god-fatherism, PDP in Abia state has retained it as tradition and style of governance, adding that the consequence is the persistent strangulation and draining of public fund to service the insatiable greed of the god-fathers and their agents.

“This trend has become more chronic under this regime. We do not know how we can describe a political party that for 20years continue to plunder fund meant to develop the state and improve the living conditions of Ndi Abia and her residence.

“We cannot see any justification for starving workers and pensioners for periods ranging from seven months to one year and some pensioners owed 18 months.

“This starving of civil servants has impacted negatively and frustrated economic activities and families. The number of school dropouts is rising from time to time because their parents can no longer sustain them”.

APGA said the government’s repeated excuses of shortage of allocation from the federation allocation were unacceptable as other states like Anambra which have similar experience in reduction of FAAC monthly allocation are doing very well.

“States like Anambara that receives less allocation than Abia state pays their workers and pensioners on or before 28^th of each month and also provide infrastructure for her people.

“For clarity, the low receipt of FAAC allocation is as a result of reduction in revenue from oil, and other sources of income, and not by the arbitrary will of the president Buhari as most people are deceived by PDP to believe.

“For example, the PDP regime of president Goodluck Jonathan got about $360 bill from oil sales between 2010 to 2014:while the present regime has got about $121 billion from May 2018 to August 2018. The low oil output notwithstanding president Buhari’s regime has not short changed any state”, APGA said.

Ehiemere equally accused the State government of lack of maintenance culture which he said has forced all big and medium scale factories to collapse.

The party chairman therefore urged the people of the state to do away with the party it said has deceived them for 20 years and vote in APGA in 2019 for a new lease of life for Abians.