Budget: PDP Condemns Rendition of Tinubu’s Campaign Tune in N’Assembly Chamber

•Says it’s another evidence of drift to totalitarianism

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said that it strongly condemned the rendition of the campaign tune of President Bola Tinubu in the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly during the presentation of the 2024 budget estimate to the legislature.

The PDP described it as an “extremely sacrilegious and unpardonable assault” by Tinubu and his handlers on the sensibility and constitutional sovereignty of the Nigerian people as represented by the National Assembly.

In a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party said that the insensitive and brazen rendition of the campaign tune amid proceedings in the chambers by the government’s security band further confirmed the apprehensions by Nigerians of creeping totalitarianism.

It added that the action smacked of fiefdom where an individual is being elevated as a sovereign, clearly undermining the legislature and the constitution of Nigeria.

“This condemnable episode validates the concerns of the PDP as expressed on several occasions, the latest being on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 where our party raised the alarm and cautioned that our nation is dangerously sliding into cronyism and totalitarianism under the Tinubu-led administration.

”The National Assembly is the symbol of the collective sovereignty of the Nigerian people which cannot be appropriated by or surrendered to any individual or cabal under any guise or circumstance whatsoever,” the PDP spokesman stressed.

Moreover, the PDP said that it was appalled by Tinubu’s description of Nigerians in his budget presentation as the “ordinary people out there”, a statement which it said further exposes the disdain and utter disregard to the sensitivity of Nigerians as reflected in the formulation of polices, programmes and implementation by the current administration

“This apparently explains why the 2024 budget as presented by  Tinubu heavily provided for luxury appetite of the privileged few in the presidency and All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders with no corresponding positive plan for the wellbeing of other Nigerians.

“Our Party calls on Nigerians to be at alert and defend the nation’s democracy by resisting the totalitarian tendencies of the APC administration.

“Nigeria is a democratic nation governed by the constitution and the rule of law and we must not allow any act that is capable of drifting our nation to unconstitutional tendencies as being exhibited by the APC”, Ologunagba stated.