The Peoples Democratic Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party have faulted the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over his comment that he tried his best for the country.
The two opposition parties said while the President had continued to express satisfaction about his efforts towards developing the country, the reality on the ground was an indication of a regime that had failed to fulfil its election promises to Nigerians.
Buhari had said he would not miss the Aso Rock Villa much due to constant harassment from some Nigerians, who had belittled his efforts to make the country better, adding that despite many efforts on his part, his best did not seem to be enough.
Buhari made these remarks in a documentary played at a private dinner organised by his family and close associates to mark his 80th birthday on Friday at the State House Banquet Hall.
He said, “I wonder if I am going to miss much. I think I’m being harassed. I believe I’m trying my best, but still, my best is not good enough. Because there are people around that think that they can intimidate me to get what they want instead of going through certain systems to earn whatever they want to earn. And they are some people who want to be clever,”
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, the spokesman for the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said rather than talking about his efforts, the President should apologise and tell Nigerians that he was not ready for the job.
He said, “He should say the truth for once and agree that yes, he failed; he wasn’t ready for the job and that he is sorry. That’s what he should have added by apologising to Nigerians, and I think the APC should come in and do that on his behalf that they are sorry to have brought this untold hardship in the last seven and half years.
“They should apologise for the insecurity, the memories of those killed, their dependants; he should also do the same, particularly on the economic front, where the policies have brought untold hardships in the areas of our currency, which is crashing down every day and thereby affecting the life of the people.
“Their party is a platform of unprepared leaders that have no policy, no agenda, other than just propaganda and lies. He has led the government for about seven and half years and for him to come out to say that, he has admitted that yes, he has failed.”
Also, the National Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dipo Olayoku, said Buhari should understand that efforts committed to a goal would be in vain if they failed to achieve such an objective.
Olayoku, who insisted that the President’s performance is nothing to write home about, said, “There is a difference between efforts and result. From what Nigerians have seen, no matter the efforts the President said he had put in, there is nothing to show for it.
“I have been in Lagos for the past three days; I have been in filling stations queuing to buy fuel at a very high cost. I don’t know what the President means by he has tried his best.
“Nigerians are suffering because things are so difficult for them. If he tried, Nigeria as a country would not still be importing fuel. As of today, the country still imports 80 per cent of the fuel it consumes.
“I don’t think there is anything tangible the President has achieved. Is it in terms of security? Is it in terms of the fight against corruption? Is it in terms of the economy?
On his part, a former presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Chief Dele Momodu, stated that the President had done his best and tried for Nigeria, noting that Nigerians felt that his (Buhari) efforts could not save the country from insecurity economic backwardness, poverty, the collapse of education, unemployment and poor infrastructure.