The Vice Presidential candidates debate organised by the Nigerian Election Debate Group NEDG in conjunction with the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, BON at the weekend set yet another battle stage for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
This is as the Vice Presidential candidates of the front line parties, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo of the APC and Peter Obi of the PDP ostensibly throw fire bats at each other while the parties’ chieftains continue with various verbal attacks after the debate.
At the debate both Osibanjo and Obi stiffly opposed each other on the economy particularly with regards to the issue of fuel subsidy and war against corruption.
Consequently, as Osinbajo justified the necessity for retention of fuel subsidy or the pump price will peak at N220, Obi criticised government’s retention of oil subsidy to the detriment of other sectors like health.
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The PDP Vice Presidential candidate also faulted the APC administration’s approach to anti corruption war, saying while the government was busy fighting corruption, Nigerian Stock Market lost N2 trillion in one year.
Obi disagreed that, “fighting corruption is not an economic policy. It is not that you can’t fight corruption; you can fight it more aggressively while addressing economic issues.
“For example, in 2015, unemployment and underemployment was 24% , today is 40%. In 2015, we attracted $21 billion in Foreign Direct Investment, we attracted only $12 billion last year. Our GDP was $520 billion in 2015 and per capital was $2,500, today it is under $1,900.
“If you look at our stock market, it has lost over N2 trillion in one year. So, that is no policy, you are not creating jobs, and you are just fighting corruption. You can’t shut down your shop and be chasing criminals.
The former Anambara state governor further argued that, while South Africa capital market stands at $900 billion, as the second largest economy in Africa, Nigeria’s capital market today is only $30 billion, stressing that it shows the shallowness of the economy, because the government in power is not doing what it is not supposed to do.
But Osibanjo said, “today, the NNPC is the sole importer of petroleum, so it is from the balance sheet of the NNPC that the subsidy is being taken.
Now, let me say that if today you are to remove subsidy, petrol price could go as high as N220 per litre or higher. There is no country in the world, not even the wealthiest ones, that don’t run some type of subsidy or the other”.
On Obi parable of; “you cannot shut down your shops and be chasing criminals”, Osibanjo responded that, “if you allow criminals to steal all the inventory in the shop, there will be no shop. That’s the problem. And what has happened in Nigeria in the past 16 years is what the World Bank told us; that the major cause of our poverty is corruption.
“That is what we’ve been told. So, let me say there is no way we can minimise. You can’t minimise corruption; if you minimise it, we run the risk of completely — in fact, the argument is lost. We cannot do what we want to do unless we are able to minimise corruption or eradicate it completely, which is what we’re trying to do”.
Reacting to the outcome of the debate, PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said Obi’s presentation showed PDP’s unparalleled preparedness to take over the reign of government and willingness to return the nation to the path of good governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity, and accused Osinbajo of not being able to articulate any solution or show what the Buhari administration intends to do differently.
“This debate has further exposed the humongous corruption in the Buhari Presidency, as Vice President Osinbajo could not provide answers to the exposed N8 trillion sleazes in the fuel subsidy regime under the Buhari administration,” read the statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the party.
“It invited Nigerians to note how the Vice President was jittery and ill-at ease throughout the debate, particularly as his most of his performance claims especially in food provision, infrastructure and security were all fictitious.
“Prof. Osinbajo’s attempted to brand the PDP as corrupt, saying all records and statistics show that corruption escalated under President Buhari and that his administration ranks as the most corrupt in the history of our nation.
“Prof. Osinbajo and the Buhari administration lack every moral standing to speak on social welfare when the Vice President is yet to explain the whereabouts of the N33 billion meant for the provision of food and other items for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) suffering in the North East”, the statement read.
In his reaction, Festus Keyamo, Director of Strategic Communications, President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization blasted Obi for citing achievements of China and other great nations during the debate, saying China did not achieve greatness in three years but spent great number of years planning.
Keyamo pointed out that while these great countries were putting their houses in order, PDP was busy destroying Nigeria’s future.
According to him, “the most damaging campaign in which Peter Obi is engaged is always citing what China and other great countries did all these years to become great whereas these countries didn’t do all these in the last 3 years.They did these during the same period his party destroyed our future”.
Reacting, former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose stated that, “delighted that our VP candidate, Peter Obi demonstrated high level of understanding of issues relating to the economy of this country.
“In PDP, we have brains in abundance, while in the other party, they have lies in abundance. We will surely get Nigeria working again”.
In another reaction, Dennis Idahosa, APC candidate for Ovia Federal Constituency in Edo state accused Obi of not offering any solution to questions put to him, stressing that the debate has made Nigerians understand the antics of the PDP.
“We have seen from the debate that the PDP has nothing to offer Nigerians except to return the country to the hands of looters.
“There was no where the PDP Vice presidential candidate stated the party’s plan for the country but rather reeled out lies about the APC performance”, Idahosa said.
On the other hand, Reno Omokri, the former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan Osinbajo said the Vice President during the debate showed Nigerians that he was still stuck in 2015 while Obi showed he was ready for the Nigeria of tomorrow.
The former presidential spokesman on his Twitter page wrote, “Osinbajo should have told the public what they have done and what they intend to do.
“By basing his strategy on the false narrative of 16 years of PDP rot, Osinbajo has shown that he is stuck in 2015 while Peter Obi is not just up to today, he is up to tomorrow”.
