May 29th 2018 marks President Mohammedu Buhari’s three years in office as Nigeria president having won the 2015 presidential election in May 2015.
Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC) took over from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which also ended the sixteen years unbroken records of PDP’s rule since 1999.
There are scepticism that Buhari may not win 2019 Presidential Election due to lack of performance and delivering on his election promises. In this analysis Innocent Orok and Lola Adesokan examines the possibility or otherwise of Buhari winning his second term in office come 2019.
May 29th 2018 marked President Mohammedu Buhari’s three years in office as Nigeria president having won the 2015 presidential election in May 2015.
Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC) took over from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which also ended the sixteen years unbroken records of PDP rule since 1999.
President Buhari and his party APC came into power with a slogan called ‘Change Mantra’ which tend to rubbish the “Transformation” preached by the Jonathan’s administration then.
The Buhari administration has been characterized with mixed feelings of non performance which has also divided Nigerians under the “Hailers” and “Wailers” groups of supporters and Complaints.
To showcase his administration performance for the past three years, President Buhari in his third year anniversary reeled out his administration performance.
According to the 41 pages document various sectors of the economy has witnessed monumental growths and development.
Some of the strides claimed by Buhari are increase in foreign reserves from $32b to $47b with a more stronger economy better than the weak one he inherited.
That Nigerians are enjoying increased power supply now with over 7,000 megawatts of electricity generation.
On security, the president said the Book Haram insurgency has been degraded.
While in education he said has improved the education sector in the last three years.
Other areas the president said has gained prominent are the aviation sector saying the US has categorized FAA Category 1 status to Nigeeria .
Also that the visa on arrival policy has been archive.
Inflation increased by 50% from 9.8% when Buhari took over in May 2015, has reduced to 13.34%.
The document also posited unprecedented FIRS tax revenue and customs receipt.
While a total of ₦2.7trillion capital expenditure was invested into capital projects for 2016 and 2017 combined.
According to the report Nigeria is more secure under Buhari.
On anti- corruption war it reports that Nigeria has archive more convictions under this regime than before. While
increased foreign exchange inflows into Nigeria has doubled.
But in swift reaction to the three years performance report by the APC led government, the PDP said it is all lies.
According to the the main opposition party, Buhari government under the APC has failed Nigerians.
The party said Buhari’s speech was hollow, full of false claims and that the 2018 Democracy Day will be the last for Buhari and APC.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement he issued in Abuja, he said Buhari address is the worst since President Buhari took office in 2015, and was garnished with a list of phantom projects and executive regurgitations, inherently designed by his handlers to sway Nigerians and divert attention from the many failures of his administration.
Ologbondiyan stated that few Nigerians who bothered to listen to the address were miffed that, in the most insensitive manner, Mr. President failed to show the littlest empathy to millions of citizens groaning under the worst form of poverty, starvation and economic hardship occasioned by his misrule.
He added that President Buhari’s aloofness to the plight of Nigerians was manifested in all the lines of the speech.
“In fact, no line in the supposed Democracy Day Address had any inclination towards justice for victims of abuse of human rights, reported executive high-handedness, illegal arrests and detentions, extra-judicial executions as well as victims of killings and daily bloodletting in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Kogi, Yobe and other parts of the country, by insurgents and marauders.
“Mr. President, on Democracy Day, had no words of assurance on the unrelenting violation of our constitution; assault on the National Assembly and erosion of personal freedom of citizens.
“The President said nothing on the humongous corruption going on under his administration, where APC leaders and cabal at the Presidency have stolen over N10 trillion, mainly from a sector under his direct supervision.
“PDP also notes the fact that the President had no committing words towards the conduct of free, fair and credible 2019 general elections, apparently overwhelmed by the avalanche of his public rejection ahead of the polls.
“Incredibly, Mr. President’s handlers chose to subject him to a fantasy trip, making false performance claims with phantom projects, muddling up economic statistics and ended up worsening his already diminished public perception”, he said.
He observed that that was why the PDP had earlier advised President Buhari not to border to address Nigerians on Democracy Day.
He continued, “The PDP notes that Nigerians have reached a consensus that the 2018 Democracy Day celebration is the last for the Buhari Presidency and the APC. Our citizens have endured under the misrule of the APC, keeping their hopes in the 2019 elections to get back our democracy on the platform of the repositioned PDP.
“In solidarity with Nigerians, the National Working Committee of the PDP has already held a meeting where it reviewed the circumstances and will formally address Nigerians on the issues of misrule of our nation in the last three years”. The party said.
Aside from the PDP, many Nigerians have expected a more promising or performance showcasing speech of the president’s in his last three years in office.
For instance many are questioning the acclaimed performance in agriculture, especially rice production, when the food stuff price is still at roof top and the so-called Nigeria made rice are not readily found in the markets.
Another critical undermining factor of the Buhari’s administration is insecurity which has consumed so many lives, especially the herdsmen wanton killings.
Though many are skeptical of Buhari winning the 2019 presidential election come February 2019, but the tide for now seems to be in favour of the president and his party, APC as it is the only party out of the 67 registered political parties that has a formidable candidate for now.
Besides the power of incumbent also stands in favour of President Buhari.
- The tide is on, will this Buhari three years scorecard secured a second term for PMB or will May 29th , 2018 be his last democracy day in office as Nigeria president? only time will tell.
