The Labour Party (LP) criticized President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech as a celebration of lies and deceit, emphasizing that Nigerians are aware that they were mistreated during the last presidential election.
The Labour Party expressed sadness over President Tinubu’s declaration that the 2023 presidential election was fair in a statement released by the party’s acting national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, noting that the party views “this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute bringandry unleashed on them.”
LP noted that “The Labour Party is disappointed with the inaugural speech made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today which clearly exposed the shallowness and policy incongruity that his administration, while it lasts, is hoping to bequeath Nigerians.
“First, the President described “the election that brought him to power as tough but fairly won”. He also said that today was the proudest day of his life.
“However, we consider that speech as defective in many ways. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua, recall, on the inauguration of his government, did state that the election that brought him to power was flawed and imperfect but he promised that he was going to fix the electoral system.
“But today, Nigerians were aghast with the boldness and glee with which Tinubu declared his election as fair.
“We consider this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute bringandry unleashed on them.
“Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that instruction by the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu to “grab power and run with it”, a directive that was effected on the February 25 election day.
“What was witnessed today was a celebration of lies and deceit, and that explains why the streets are like graveyards with no pomp and pageantry usually associated with a major feat like what we had today.
“Again, Labour Party, while campaigning told Nigerians that if given the privilege to preside, we will among other things change our economy from consumption to production and we will provided tangible ways we can achieve that policy.
“But listening to President Tinubu today reading a speech believed to have been penned by his team, it became obvious that we are returning to the 2015 era where we had great expectations but without any means achieving them.
“In the last eight years, Nigerians were constantly fed with the narratives that the previous government of the PDP brought economic and political calamity upon the nation.
“In all those years, the Buhari government made little or no effort to improve upon these challenges. Nigeria is again about to be confronted with a similar scenario if not a worse scenario.
“APC ruined this nation and we must not allow a worse situation again. We must wake up to our roles of holding accountable those in positions of authority.”