The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for blaming the non-compliance with the national response against COVID-19 on state Governors.
The party in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, described such as a manifestation of leadership failure.
POLITICS NIGERIA reported how some state Governors flouted the Presidential directive by lifting the ban on religious gatherings.
Despite the increasing cases of COVID-19, Taraba, Nasarawa, Bauchi and Kastina state governments have lifted the ban on public gathering owing to the forthcoming Eid-El-Fitri festival.
In reaction, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 have advised the state governments to take responsibility by complying with the national response.
Nevertheless, the PDP said: “Buhari Presidency’s decision to run to state governors for the solution after it had badly muddled up the process, leading to confusion across the country and a consequential spike in infection and fatality rates, is rather coming very late in the day.
“Nigerians can recall how our party and other well-meaning Nigerians repeatedly counseled the Buhari Presidency to involve state governors, the private sector and critical stakeholders for an effective multisectoral and multilayered approach, to no avail.
“The Buhari Presidency rebuffed wise counsels and settled for a parochial response marred by corruption, nepotism, incompetence and narrow-minded politics, only to now turn to seek to transfer the brunt of its colossal failure to state governors.”
The PDP noted that the poor handling of the COVID-19 response has further highlighted the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government’s lack of capacity to manage important national issues.
“Our party invites Nigerians to note that the three states, where the Buhari-led Federal Government took up the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely; Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states, had recorded very high statistics in infection and fatality rates compared to states where it was not involved.
According to the opposition party, if President Buhari had involved the states and allowed for a multilayered approach in the distribution of palliatives, development of therapeutics and implementation of protocols, the situation would have been better handled.
“Now that the Buhari Presidency has come to its wits end, our party urges governors elected on the platform of the PDP to assist their colleagues in the APC with information, strategies and expertise, for an effective national response for the pandemic.
“Furthermore, the PDP urges Mr. President and his PTF to do the nation a favour by taking accommodation in the backseat and allowing competent hands to manage the situation.
“Our party urges the state governors to brace up to the occasion and rally the private sector for homegrown solutions, which the APC-led Federal Government had failed to achieve due to sheer incompetence and corruption,” the statement read in parts.
