Governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s interventions in states, deeming them insufficient to address current economic challenges.
This sentiment was outlined in a communiqué released on Friday following a meeting held in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.
While the federal government has been distributing palliatives to alleviate economic hardship, the PDP governors called on President Bola Tinubu to advise his appointees against publicizing these efforts in a way that portrays the states unfavorably. “The Forum laments that rather than undertake a review of macro-economic and social policies with a view to giving them a human face, the federal government has resorted to blackmail,” the communiqué stated.
The governors urged President Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by preventing his officials from engaging in blame games that cast states in a negative light over the limited interventions. “We call on Mr. President to show statesmanship by restraining his officials from blame games that make the sub-nationals look bad by mentioning piecemeal interventions that cannot solve the problem. We remain unshaken in our firm resolve to stand with the suffering Nigerian masses and to take all legitimate steps to ameliorate their plight,” the statement read.
Regarding the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, the governors raised concerns over alleged attempts to compromise the election in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing reports of security operatives intimidating PDP supporters.
The forum also called for a fair and swift trial of individuals arrested in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protest. Reflecting on the end of the protest, the governors commended the PDP governors for their mature handling of the situation, which helped prevent hoodlums from hijacking the protests.
“The Forum reiterates that peaceful protests are the inalienable rights of the citizens through which they vent their genuine grievances. The Forum commiserates with the families of those innocent souls that were lost and calls on the Federal Government to ensure a fair and speedy trial of those who were arrested,” the communiqué concluded.
