A day to the much anticipated Christmas celebration, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given reasons why Nigerians may not be able to merrily celebrate the day.
In a Sunday statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, and made available through its official Twitter handle, the party blamed “current biting economic hardship worsened by acute fuel shortages” as a hindrance to Nigerians’ ability to celebrate the day.
Nigeria is currently going through one of its most severe fuel scarcity crisis in its modern history, with many Nigerians forced to buy petrol for as many as three times the official N145 pump price.
Many commuters are also forced to pay exorbitant transport fares or trek long distances if they cannot afford the fares.
The party blamed the situation on the “shambolic policies, sheer incompetence and gross insensitivity of the APC-led Federal Government”.
Ologbondiyan described the nation’s current economic situation as a “national embarrassment which cannot be glossed with deceit, lies and propaganda”.
He said, “Indeed, this is the worst Yuletide ever.
“There’s no way one can sugarcoat the fact that the anguish Nigerians face today is because of the incompetence of the APC government which has also amply demonstrated that it does not care about the welfare and happiness of the citizens.
“Our country’s economic situation has astronomically gone from bad to worse in the last two years and painfully, there is no hope in sight under this APC regime.
“As we speak, many families are completely stranded; many more can no longer afford their basic needs.”
Despite the headship, the party called on Nigerians to show love and peace to another irrespective of religious, political and ethnic affiliations.