The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed President Muhammadu Buhari’s self assessment of having performed “extremely well”, saying he has been a “sleeping president” under whose watch Nigeria has degenerated on all indices of development.

“Nigeria has been burdened with a sleeping president. How can President make such claim when federal universities have been shut for over seven months, when Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world, when armed non-state actors are having a free reign unleashing terror on the people?”, Funkekeme Solomon, Senior Political Adviser to the vice presidential candidate of the PDP and governor of Delta State, stated this in Asaba.
“The president’s self assessment shows he is not aware of the state of the country. He is not aware his fellow Nigerians are living in abjected poverty and deprivation inflicted by his visionless leadership”, Solomon said while featuring on a phone-in programme on Bridge FM, Asaba.
He said Buhari’s assessment of himself amounts to mockery of Nigerians that do not have anyone or anywhere to turn to.

According to him, the PDP is primed to bring the back from the brink of disaster. Asked to explain the capacity of PDP to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) with lingering disagreement between Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State and the national leadership of the party, Solomon said there is no faction within the PDP.

“What is happening is a demonstration of the democratic principles PDP is rooted in. Governor Wike wants some issues he firmly believes to be addressed. He is making his position known within the framework of the party. A lot is being done to resolve all issues. As has become clear to all now, the call for Dr. Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation may complicate the situation more and may lead to additional but unnecessary resignations. This is because even though Ayu steps down, he will be succeeded by somebody from the north in line with the constitution of the party”, he said.

Solomon explained that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as presidential flagbearer of PDP is no indication that southern governors failed to drive their earlier resolution that a southern should be the next president.
“In their maiden meeting in Asaba and subsequent ones, southern governors had affirmed that Buhari’s successor should come from the south. However, governors’ forum, whether national or regional, are just pressure groups. As it were, PDP leadership decided to open the presidential contest to all aspirants. Governors cannot override the party leadership. Wike contested and came second. If he had won, a northern would have been taken as running mate”, he said.
He explained that PDP has the internal mechanism to rotate power among all zones and will ensure the principle of fairness and equity will always be respected.

On the call by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Dr. Adamu Adamu, the Senior Political Adviser to Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, endorsed the position of the students, nothing, however, that NANS’ was late in coming.

“It is true the unresolved issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities has been on for some time. But we have never had an Education Minister who just carried on as if it’s business as usual while federal universities are shut down. He never engaged ASUU. He never expressed concern over the fate of our students. Adamu should not even wait to be coaxed into resigning. He should have left honourably”, he said.‏