 The ruling all-progressive Congress has blamed the People's Democratic Party for impoverishing 133 million Nigerians. And ahead of the 2023 general elections in Delta State, Sharif Obovervoori has extended an olive branch to messes Eddebover as Supreme Court's reaffirms his candidacy. This is plus politics and I am Mary Anacol. The ruling all-progressive Congress APC has exonerated the administration of President Mohammed al-Buhari retired, of course, general, for the poverty level of over 133 million Nigerians. Now, early this month, the National Bureau of Statistics disclosed that about 133 million people, which represented about 63% of Nigerians, were multi-dimensionally poor. The Bureau further indicated that 65% of the impoverished people live in the North, while the remaining 35% are represented in the South. However, the APC has defended the Buhari's administration, saying it had no case to answer when it came to the impoverished state of the average Nigerian. Joining us to discuss this is Ilemona Anoja. He is the head of media department, PDP presidential campaign council, and also joining us later on the show, Okiwe Sharfa. He is a legal practitioner and a member of the APC here in Lake Estate. Thank you very much, Ilemona, for joining us. Thank you very much for having me, Mary Ann. Just a very quick correction. I am the head of the new media department. New media. Great, great. Let's start by, I was hoping that we would have the APC member join us quickly so they could explain to us what they meant by the PDP being responsible. But then this is an allegation that has been levelled against the People's Democratic Party here. And this is a few months just to the close of the Buhari administration before we go into the elections and of course a new president emerges. Now, the Buhari administration is exonerating itself from what the Bureau of Statistics has come out with. And this impoverishment, we're talking about 63% of Nigerians here. Let's go back to the PDP administration because of course the APC makes reference to the fact that you have held on to power for at least 18 years plus and now they've only had a few years in government. But where do you think that the APC is coming from with this issue of impoverishment and what the Bureau of Statistics is saying? What does the PDP stand on this matter? What you're seeing is ongoing evidence, live stream to millions of Nigerians about the refusal of the All Progressive Congress to take responsibility for its maladministration, for take responsibility, for its failure of governance, to take responsibility for the wicked, insensitive and absolutely abominable sort of leadership and rule that it has given to our country over the course of the last seven years. It is very easy to distill these issues. There were not 133 million or multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians in 2015 when the APC was sworn into office. In fact, in 2018-2019, there were 40.1% of Nigerians were poor. After four years of APC's boo, that number was significantly lower in 2015. This that we have here, if we take into consideration certain things, like the fact that unemployment stood at 9% in 2015 when the APC was sworn into power. Youth unemployment was way significantly less than its current 52%. We did not. Inflation stood at the single digit of 9% when APC came into power. All these indices have changed. At the moment, if I'm correct, inflation stands at maybe 21-22%. We have insecurity on record levels. We have unemployment on record levels. We have record levels of crime and criminality. It's a no-brain now. But because the APC does not have a track record to run on, because the APC does not have a verifiable record of delivery of service and good governance to Nigerian people, it has resorted to the only thing that it believes is possible. To look into our faces and to tell us bold, bare-faced lies and to misrepresent the fact and to try to pull the pool over our eyes in the hope that Nigerians won't be discerning people and that they wouldn't study the numbers to know what the truth is. But that's not the case. It is our work in the PDP to help Nigerians remember. We must remember that this country, this government has taken away our jobs. We must remember that this government has taken away our means of livelihoods. We must remember that this government has looked away as we are terrorized by brigands and terrorists. We must remember that this government has watched endlessly as our farms are unproductive, as our schools are closed, as our healthcare centers simply cannot give us any healthcare. We must remember that this government has supervised never-before-seen levels of corruption. We must remember that this government has supervised never-before-seen levels of incompetence. We must remember these things and then we must polish it at the polls next year. When we send this heartless, mindless, insensitive government back to the doldrums from where the game and we elect the government and elect the government that will be sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian people. Joining us now is, of course, Mr. Okewee Sharafa. He's a legal practitioner and also a member of the APC. Mr. Okewee, if you have been listening, you would hear what Mr. Noja has been saying. He's saying that your party is bold-faced lying to Nigerians about your claim that the PDP has impoverished 133 million Nigerians. Now, let's start by looking at the promises that the president, Mohammad Abu-Hari, and of course the APC made to Nigerians three core areas where the campaign areas, talking about fighting corruption, putting an end to insecurity and, of course, making sure that there is some form of employment. But can we say that the government has done well in those areas and where is the APC coming from with this allegation against the PDP? Please help us understand. Well, Nigerians must realize that when the time this government took over in 2015, Nigeria was in coma too. Secular detachment was already not working. Our economy was in shambles. A lot of things were wrong with our system. But in 2014, the thinking of it is that Nigeria's economic or Nigeria's state was not terrible or was not bad. But the moment we took over a mantle of leadership, we discovered that the problem was more serious than we thought. And which means Nigerian structure was a very stable one, which requires holistic restructuring, holistic approach to various challenges that were bedeviling our nation. I must equally forget that between 2016 and 2021, the entire world faced a lot of economic challenges. That period, the price of oil was at the lowest level. Beautiful for COVID-19, that rather than the whole world in 2019 and 2022, as well as a global economic recession, which was actually having a certain effect on our Nigerian states. And these are the challenges, that we are facing. And would you give that government credit for being able to ensure that Nigeria remains a nation to be reckoned with? Those are the challenges that we are facing. Now, let's not address issue specifically. Before 2015, Bukwaram insurgency had taken over better parts of North East. In fact, they were in charge of most states in the North East, and they were even flying their flag in most local government and state of the North East. But when this government came on board, they were able to reclaim those states and local governments. Today, no local government, no community, no state is under the rule of Bukwaram insurgency, meaning that in the era of security, this current government has been able to surpass the achievement or records of the criminal administration. At the top of economy, during the previous administration, Nigeria enjoyed oil boom. That was when we had the highest price for oil in the whole world. We, the private government, could not show anything as the resultant effects of that oil boom. This government has only enjoyed the lowest price of oil. Just like that, the government has been able to manage our nation states to this level. And if you look at the infrastructure... Okay. Hello? Go ahead, go ahead. I'll just let you land and then I'll ask my question. Now, if you look at the infrastructure, this government has been able to put in place compared what previous governments put in place in the last 16 years in Nigeria to give to those in this government. To perform in wonder, that's why the challenges economically, security-wise, and politically that the government had witnessed, the government was able to ensure that lives of Nigerians are touched. Okay. No doubt we are having a economic challenge. Which is not peculiar in Nigeria. Alright, Mr Shafa, let me bring you back. Now, you talked about the government performing wonders. I really want to understand where these wonders have taken place because I just only picked the three core areas with which the president had campaigned on. And then of course campaigned again that we give him another opportunity at this office so that he could better upon the things that he could not do. I ask you again very succinctly, how well do you think that the president has done in those three core areas? I'd like to quickly just run through a few things that the president and this administration has failed to do. Then I'll let Mr Nodra come in. The president had promised Nigerians that he was going to ban, put a ban on officials for going abroad for medical treatment. He failed because number one, the president is the very person in charge. Secondly, the president had said that he was going to deal with the issue of public declaration of assets and liabilities failed. He promised that he was going to create three million jobs per year. He failed, woefully. The revival of Ajau Kota Steel Company, the president has also failed. He also promised that he was going to create a social welfare program where a minimum of 5,000 will be paid to 25 million poorest of vulnerable citizens. Where did the money go? Because we keep hearing that those monies were paid to whom he failed. Again, the president promised that he was going to generate and transmit and distribute at least 20,000 megawatts of electricity within four years and of course, increase it to 50,000 megawatts with a view of achieving 24-7 lights on interrupted power supply within 10 years. Again, Mr President has failed. I have a long list. Can I just go through them and speak to you so that we can demonstrate what the administration performed? Mr Shahib, are you there? Thank you very much. Now, you see, I said earlier, I said in 2014 when we were campaigning, we thought Nigerian problems were no enormous. Based on the picture we were given by the was so entrenched that it required very serious and meticulous attempts to bring Nigeria back from the trend of going into a sort of serious economic recession. Now, you are correct by saying in certain areas, the current government was unable to actually meet up their place of Nigeria. Pyconic says that we mustn't forget that despite the possibility of funds, this government was able to keep Nigeria working, to keep Nigeria running. It's not easy. I'm sorry, I just want you to put a pin there. Let me bring back Ilemona. Ilemona, you listened to Mr. Sharafa and he's constantly said that there's been challenges economic wise, worldwide. We've had COVID-19 to deal with and of course the government had to deal with also the oil benchmark across the world and of course the paucity of funds under this administration, hence why the presidency has not been able to cover all of its promises. But we go back to the allegations that the PDP is at the core of the problems that the average Nigerian is facing today even though the president at some point had seen that there were problems and still canvassed or campaigned to be president to give us change. They're saying that they've tried their best even though there's been a lot of roadblocks and challenges. I'd like to hear from you. If it wasn't so sad, Mr. Sharafa's presentation would have been funny. The only reason why I'm not bursting out in unrestained and hilarious and all out laughter is because it is really sad. It is like sad to look at Nigerians and try to tell these sorts of lies. At the commencement of President Muhammadu Poheri's administration, no local governments or states were annexed by Boko Haram. The military, in tandem with mercenaries recruited from abroad, had cleared Boko Haram by a considerable amount, which was the only reason why we were able to have the 2015 elections in the first place. It is also a lie to come and look at us and tell us that there are no swaths of land under Boko Haram control or under terrorist control. In Taksina, the home state of President Muhammadu Poheri, people have to pay taxes to terrorists who are called bandits in order to be able to access their farms. In Niger state, another ABC control state, people have to pay taxes to terrorists to be able to access their homes and their farms. Indeed, the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, recently held an interview where he said that terrorists are in control of large parts of Kaduna state, to the point where he doesn't believe elections can hold in those areas and that people have to pay taxes to terrorists to access their homes and their farms. For anybody to come and tell us that lie, that there isn't this level of insecurity in our country, my goodness. This noise about oil prices. The Poheri administration has never had to deal with oil prices as low at points as the Obasanjo administration had to deal with. Yet, the Obasanjo administration posted in its first four years economic growth of 5.3 percent, of 5.3 percent, 15.3 percent, and then 7.4 percent in its first four years. Nothing, the ABC Federal Government is not able to give us anywhere near those sort of root numbers. Instead, we've come off the back of three years ago. But then there's the argument, there's the argument, there's the argument from Mr Sharifah that, look, you were in power at the peak of the oil boom. You had great opportunities like the Paris Club, the Paris Club, the fund. I will quickly correct certain things. We're in the middle of an oil boom. Yet, we're making losses. Well, this is the first time in our national history that we haven't made the benefit from an oil boom. Who is in power? The ABC. This is the first time. I'll also tell you something. There were periods during President Obasanjo's tenure with Vice President Alasya Tiqua Blocker in office as chairman of the National Economic Council, where oil sold for as low as $20 a barrel. The lowest, at a point it sold for as low as $9 a barrel. The lowest the ABC has had over around $35, $38 a barrel, a clear margin over the lowest points of the PDP. Yet, the PDP never led us into a recession. Yet, the PDP never led us to this sort of multi-dimensional poverty. Yet, the PDP didn't bring this level of sorrow, tears and blood to our homes and our farms. Mr. Shaffer obviously isn't in tune with his history. If he was, he won't be saying some of the things that he's saying on this interview, at least not to me. Mr. Shaffer, would you like to comment please? Mr. Shaffer, can you hear me? My comment is just this. Where was that green fundamentalism that PDP was in power for the first 16 years of a democratic process? And when Opposition Party then took over in 2015, I said it earlier, we never knew that the problem was as serious as this. And the PDP government then was actually covering a lot of things from the public. They were only trying to make believe governance. But the current president of Nigeria is a type that doesn't believe in deceiving people. Now, in terms of the oil price, it's an international fact that during the PDP administration, they enjoyed oil boom for the better part of their administration, which is not the case in the current government. The only time we had opportunity of having selling oil higher is once. And what is this here? Due to the fact that the whole world was partly with a lot of economic challenges, recession, COVID-19, international war, conflict around there, affecting all policing nations. And in the area of the clarity, this government has tried a lot. Not the PDP administration. We were airing how insurgents were taking over our land, communities, and states without any resistance from the security authorities. But that is not the case now. They have been repelled. We have only have been So that's Boko Haram. They've been repelled. But then we have to deal with bandits. We have to deal with kidnappers. Nigerians are unable to travel safely on certain highways. It's even come very close to home here in Lagos. The kidnappings have gotten close to Lagos. So when you say that, oh, Boko Haram has been repelled to the fringes, what about the other parts of this hydro-headed monster that we have to deal with? Again, I'm most curious because you keep talking about the fact that, oh, we've had wars, international wars affecting us. This is when Nigeria should be catching up. And just like Lebanon said, I'm wondering, the oil vessel that was found or traced to the sea, and of course, the one that was destroyed by the army, which no investigation has been done, how much money do you think we've lost? And what is the presidency saying or has said about that issue? Has it not gone cold? Mr. Sharifa. I'm very proud outside the country. Well, the groups have turned themselves to a guerrilla sort of attack at Buckingham, Kinnabé, and what have you. And I tell you, our security apparatus are certainly constituted. And as a heritage of the Philippine-led administration, are not prepared for the kind of surprise attack the kidnappers, the infidels, are springing up. And that is why the conflict domain is having a rethink. There's need for laws to empower our security agencies. We require technology to be able to quench commission of crime. But they have realized that Nigeria is generally speaking a porous. That's the fact we want to accept. So we're just realizing after almost seven years, we're just realizing that this war needs to be taken to a technological dimension. You're saying that in all of the years that this government has been in power, you're just realizing at the eve of another election that this war needs to be taken to a technological dimension. Can we say that the APC has failed Nigerians in its entirety? Mr. Sharifa, is it possible for you to turn off your TV because I think I'm getting a feedback? What kind of insurgency Nigeria is battling with is asking an international dimension and international backing. We must take that and just realize that our security agencies are trying. But the insurgents are actually striking in least accepted places. Now say, for instance, the attack on the train that was traveling, the attack was done in the middle of the bush when it was mis-expected. But if there's a technology backup for security agencies, they will be able to detect and fight this. But they are talking about the current technology know-how. I know technology is developing every day. All I say, of course, is this. The criminal activities of the insurgents are just graduating every day, which require technology apparatus to monitor and nipping the board commission of any crime. What I'm saying, of course, is that insurgents, the militants, the kidnappers have not been doing this as before. And Nigerians are only interested in when insurgents bandit strikes, not when our military authorities or military men were able to and destroy or demobilize the insurgents. Because we're running out of time, I'm just going to let Elemona come in here quickly because we have to go. Elemona, you've heard what he said, so I don't have to respond. Yeah. What you will see, it is obvious that Mr. Rasharafa is reading from a prepared script, which is the reason why he's unable to respond to you or to I. And he just goes on recycling information that is false, that is misleading, and that is designed to pull over the eyes of unsuspecting Nigerians. In the time between 2015 and 2022, the Nigerian security budget has increased by almost 200%. In that time, what we have done, what we have seen, what we continue to see is a monumental failure to apply that budget appropriately to ensure that there's an improvement in the lives, security, welfare, and well-being of the ordinary Nigeria. 0.1, 0.2. We've come, we've seen Nigeria suffer two insurgents. We've seen Nigeria suffer two recessions under the Bwari administration, and he uses a global economic downturn as an excuse. But remember that the GDP led several governments also supervise Nigeria. It's a time of a global recession in 2008 and 2009. We did not enter into a recession as a country. These excuses are simply that they are excuses. Excuses we were always told are the nails that are used to build a house of failure. The APC has turned Nigeria under its administration to a house of failure. And these things are just excuses. When you come on the eve of another election to say that, oh, you didn't understand what the problems were, you didn't understand what the problems were, are you campaigned for an election? You have enjoyed the benefits of being voted into office, the perks of office, and you cannot deliver for the Nigerian people. You didn't, you didn't understand the problems. Are you campaigned for re-election? You didn't understand the problems. And you are campaigning yet a third time. Why should we believe that you understand what you're doing now? Why should we believe that in another four years you will not come back and tell us you didn't understand the problems? Can you please move away from the highway so that the people who understand the problems can be elected into office and can begin to implement the solutions? Can you do that? Aladjia Tukwabakar, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party, understands the problems that face Nigeria. That is why he's released his size point agenda for unity to reunite our country, to secure our people, to educate our people, to improve our economy, and to restructure our country. It is why we implement this agenda that we will immediately see an improvement in the lives, lifestyle, welfare, and well-being of the African Nigerian. We have to go. Come and tell us that they are unprepared for office, deserve not to be voted into office, and it represents a continuing impact to the sensibilities of the Nigerian people that anybody from the APC, which Mr Sharifa has said was running unprepared for office, should come to us to ask for our votes to be re-elected into office. Well, I feel I can feel the pain in your voice, but unfortunately that's all the time we have gentlemen. Ileman Aladjia is the head of New Media Department with the People's Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council. Sharifa is a legal practitioner and a member of the APC in Lagosta. Thank you so much gentlemen for being part of the conversation. Let's do this again sometime soon. All right, thank you very much. Well, we'll take a quick break and when we return, we'll be looking at what's happening in the PDP in Delta State and who's extending an olive branch and who's receiving. Stay with us.