President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to give his administration another chance of four (4) years before comparing it with that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Buhari-led administration will on May this year clock four years since it took over from the PDP which had held sway since 1999, until then opposition and now ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) terminated its reign in 2015.
The APC while eyeing the exalted office of the presidency in 2015 promised heaven on earth should it be voted into office. At some instances top officials of the party dared Nigerians to stone them should they fail to perform within two years in office.
Nigerians who were tired of the excesses of the PDP booted them out and fell for the promises of the APC to tackle insecurity, corruption and boast the economy. The party was voted into power and is now seeking a return to the seat of power as its four-year term winds down in few months.
Findings by POLITICS TIMES showed some Nigerians are complaining that the ruling party has performed below expectation and needs to be booted out.
They insist the ousted government of the PDP was much more better than the present administration.
For instance, some are of the opinion that the corruption war of the administration is one-sided. One might be tempted to believe them since the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, assured opposition politicians he tagged as corrupt to join the party before their sins could be forgiven.
Pleading for another term in office, the president through the Director, Strategic Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), said the time frame given to present administration to act before judgement is not much.
Mr Keyamo made the plea in an interview he granted Punch Newspapers, outlining the achievements of the present government in terms of security. He described the recent killing of troops by Boko Haram terrorists as unfortunate.
“You have to understand that once in a while, there may be some lapses. I am not saying that is exactly what happened but there might have been some lapses at the war zone that would give them (terrorists) the opportunity to cause havoc,” he said.
“But let me say again that this is not good and it is not something to be proud of that our soldiers are being killed, but it is far better than when we took over in 2015. That is the point we are making because the other side is running a comparative campaign. They are asking Nigerians if they are better off now than in 2015. So, we cannot allow the main opposition to be making a comparative analysis and then you tell us to shut up, that we should not refer to the past. That is what they are using to harass us and I will not be harassed along that line.
“The PDP is not an opposition party. It ruled for 16 years so they cannot be branded as an opposition party. They ran a government and they have a record to run on. So, it is record against record, apple for apple, banana for banana. Let us see which fruit is better and riper.
“I admit that we have a lot of work to do as a nation to reach a level of greatness but this greatness cannot be achieved by the PDP. They had 16 years while we have had three and a half years. You cannot compare both of us based on the time. For equity, at least, give us eight years first; after eight years, compare us,” the spokesman said.
Keyamo added that in terms of occupation of territory and hoisting flags and establishing governments, Boko Haram has been defeated.
