Ladies and Gentlemen,

I bring you warm greetings from the PDP family in Plateau State.
On behalf of the Party leadership at all levels, elders, critical stakeholders, members and supporters of our great party, I congratulate us all for celebrating the 2017 Democracy Day which was made possible by the sacrifice of the founding fathers of this great party, the PDP.

We are proud to state very clearly that the whole idea of picking a day and marking it as Democracy Day was that of a PDP Federal Government, which took over power at the return to democratic rule on May 29, 1999. And on such a day, Nigerians are very expectant as they reflect on the journey so far in our democratic experience, but equally important is the fact that they also want to hear from their leaders in what ways they have significantly transformed the lives of Nigerians at all levels.

We have every reason to thank our founding fathers, for they were determined and conscious of the need to raise this nation from its squalid level of mutual, corporate distrust, under-development, prolonged military rule and as a pariah nation to the highest level of moral and intellectual dignity. And these goals were achieved through strategic planning, wide consultation, building up consensus and mutual trust among our people, and prudent management of state resources. Our party, through the government, returned Nigeria to the realm of acceptability within the comity of nations and gave our people hope in their nation and enhanced their dignity.

These factors, and many more, account for why the PDP today remains the only political party with leaders of like-minds, who were and still prompted by a sense of patriotism and nation building, working together under the umbrella of the Party for reconciliation, economic and social reconstruction, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Today, Nigeria is the better for the labour of PDP, which has resulted in 18 years of unbroken civilian administration.

It is unfortunate that as I speak today, we no longer boast of any of these beautiful democratic developments of the past. The rescue administration is still in the state of shock and embarrassment with state power, and has been unable to fit into the shoes of the PDP. Imagine, this government is celebrating the following acclaimed areas of success in these two years:

The return of peace to Plateau State,
The Payment of salaries,
The continuation of projects of the previous administration.

With this dismal performance and not a single project to commission after two years, the government only points to the wasted opportunity that the state has been turned to.

Gentlemen of the press, we appreciate the present lull that is being celebrated by the rescuers, but we make bold to say that what we enjoy today is graveyard peace in which the land and livestock of our citizens have been forcefully taken over by their neighbours. Rather than come up with a policy to return illegally occupied lands and stolen livestock to their native owners, the government has hurriedly announced the return of peace. Today, we live in segmented settlements, along religious divides in the city of Jos. We challenge the government to work for real, sustainable peace in to the benefit of all. You cannot rob Paul pay Peter.

Two years of the rescue government has nothing comparatively close to the achievement of the PDP government. So bad it is that they cannot even celebrate fifty years of the existence of the state. Instead, commercial prayers season are organized. In addition, funds are being wasted on celebrating carnivals in a state where basic functions of state cannot be provided. Like the agama lizard, the government claps for itself and sees the carnivals as an achievement! We have followed developments in other state where the golden jubilee celebrations are used to commission special projects. The Plateau state government, to the contrary, has nothing to commission.

Last year we drew attention to the waste and plunder that has characterized the rescue dispensation, but we did not receive a word in either denial or conformation. We wish to repeat the questions we asked last years and insist that the government should provide answers to them:
Where is the over 97 Billion Naira received by the government in its first one year?

Where is the 18 Billion Naira taken from commercial banks in the first three months of rescue administration?

Where is the 4.5 Billion Naira spent in the first one year on exotic cars?

What is the explanation for spending 1.4 Billion Naira on placing tracking devices on government cars, which on average per car is in excess of the cost of a new car.

Why did government spend over 155 Million Naira on insuring cars when the financial regulations do not allow for the insurance of government vehicles?

The most shameful act of rescue administration is the illegal dissolution of the democratically elected local government councils in the state. That exercise did not surprise us, given the general lack of respect the APC nationwide has shown to the tenets of democracy. The rescuers of the Plateau have murdered democracy by the dissolution of the elected local government councils. The councils are right now being run undemocratically. How does the APC substitute democracy with impunity and ask the people to celebrate democracy on a day like this? Who is fooling who? Tragically, today we cannot fully celebrate democracy because those who lead us are not democrats

Since the opposition APC received the mantle of leadership, both at the federal level and in Plateau State, the nation and this state have been the worse for it. The whole nation is groaning. There is unparalleled distress across the land. Suffering, death, threats of secession, mismanagement of camps of Internally Displaced Persons, absence of economic plans, unbridled and barefaced nepotism, executive lawlessness, haunting of political opponents and the needless rush to shame the judiciary have all become very familiar marks of the APC government at all levels. The economic and social statuses of the ordinary Nigerian have taken a tragic nose dive. And with shameless lies at every occasion, the APC has proven to be the Nigerian Nightmare and the greatest political deception in modern nationhood.

Two years on, Plateau State under Governor Simon Lalong has had not a single achievement to celebrate. His administration has been marked by uncanny excuses for non-performance. He is eager to take loans from banks while still complaining that his predecessor had left him with huge debts. He tried the desperate and unfruitful step of investigating his predecessor through a judicial commission of inquiry – but where is the result to show for the flagrant waste of state resources? Two years into his governance, Governor Lalong’s report card shows him high on “Fail” and low on “Credit”. Is it any wonder therefore that the Lalong’s administration has chosen to enter “voice mail” on any activity to showcase his so-called achievements? He has not even seen the importance of a broadcast to salute the people and also to apologize to them for bringing upon them nothing but pains and regrets for their support. But then, the reality is simply that he has run out of excuses to give to the cherished people of Plateau State who now have seen and tasted – and are disgusted by the kind of incompetent government they had pinned their hope on!
Gentlemen of the press, as you celebrate these 18 years of uninterrupted Democracy; the PDP wishes you a successful celebration even though you are celebrating it in an unfriendly economic situation, caused by APC’s unfriendly policies. We want to assure you that this focus-less government will be shown the way out come 2019 to usher in more competent, visionary and certainly more democratic leaders that believe in our people’s values and the dignity of humanity.

I know you will all agree with me that the change mantra of the APC lacks inspirational power, because the leader himself has failed to inspire others for any phenomenal development. Our people have seen that these two years of APC have only gone a long way to confirm that, truly, Lalong is just an accidental governor who came without a vision and, therefore, has had no mission accomplished.

Let me therefore, repeat what I had said in a similar press briefing in June 2016 shortly after the new EXCO of the PDP in Plateau State was sworn in: APC, your tenancy is almost ended, prepare to handover to the lovers of our people and of democracy.

I say this because there is neither a sense of urgency nor consistency in the execution of the rescue Agenda. Rather, they have focused on how to rescue their pockets, families and friends, through continual contract awards at outrageous amounts. Let me give you just a sample:

1. ₦216,300,881.79 spent on remodeling of an already well-constructed and well-furnished Governor’s Lodge at Asokoro, Abuja by Turnkey Ltd;

2.₦1.280bn was also spent by this government through direct labour just to re-carpet the Rwang-Pam Stadium;

3. Two Billion spent on fertilizer yet none has been given to our farmers.

4. 1.8 Billion is budgeted by this government to renovate the brand new government house built by the PDP government.

Since May 29, 2015, when this government came on board, it has engaged seven different financial consultants with the same responsibility and yet without any impact on the state’s internal revenue profile to date;

It is therefore no surprise that the APC administration is becoming confused on a daily basis. Its leaders have taken Nigerians for a ride for their ignoble agenda, but we are certain that this game will not last long. The people are better informed, better convinced, and better prepared to change their destiny in subsequent elections.

On this Democracy Day, we in the Peoples Democratic Party comfort all Nigerians over the pains and hardships they are facing for every single day that this deceptive administration remains in power. We share in your pains. And we offer to you the most credible and respected option out of this intractable problem we have been witnessing in our country for the past two years. We present PDP for the mass resolve to change the change for the promotion of family values, self-respect, self-reliance and human dignity. In conclusion the APC has come to power by deceit. It has already been proven to be a scam. They exploited the vulnerability of Nigerians to promise them impossible:

One Naira to one US Dollar
Petroleum products to sell at 45 per liter and any subsidy withdrawal as corruption.

End Boko Haram within one month of coming to office

Wipe out corruption completely
Today, all the secret of lies have been exposed and nothing remains to be seen. Therefore nothing to celebrate in today’s democracy. Where is democracy without an economy? We have witnessed the systematic destruction of Africa’s largest economy built by the PDP government and replacing it with full blown recession leading to hunger and starvation.

Under APC democracy has lost its space. Competitive democracy has been killed by the deliberate emasculation of the opposition and an attempt to impose a one party state. The disrespect for human rights, rule of law, lack of respect for court orders and due process, the erosion of freedom of the press, the emasculation of INEC with inconclusive elections are anti-democratic. The repression and religious minorities are sad remainders of our dark past which the PDP had worked hard to put behind us.

Gentlemen of the press, the two years of APC have been monumental national shame and democratic catastrophe of the highest order

Together, let us resolve to uphold the integrity and sovereignty of this country by voting PDP in every election at every level from now right up to 2019. We must refuse to accept the return to impunity and dictatorship as the norm for our nation. Rather, let us once again work to maintain an egalitarian society founded on freedom, equality and justice to all. As we pray for Mr president’s quick recovery.

Thank you for listening.

Long Live the Peoples Democratic Party!

Long Plateau State!!

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

Hon. Damishi T. Sango
CHAIRMAN