by Isime Esene

Fifteen months after taking serious verbal attacks from the Peoples Democratic Party over the perfromance of the economy on Pres. Muhammadu Buhari’s watch, the All Progressives Congress (APC) party chairman, John Oyegun decided he’s had enough, choosing to hit right back.

Oyegun who has been somewhat quiet in the past one year laid it on the PDP saying it has no right whatsoever to criticize a government doing its best to right the wrongs left by Goodluck Jonathan’s government and others that went before it.

According to him: ”What is happening now is clear: Just because the farmer has not checkmated the thief, he (thief) has become so emboldened that he is now making a move to even cage the farmer from whom he has been stealing.

“How else can one characterize the most annoying statement by the PDP that it is on a mission to rescue Nigeria, the tale of a killer presenting himself as a life saver! Are these people jokers? Do they think Nigerians do not realize that the stage for today’s tough economic situation was set by the same PDP that is now masquerading as a saviour? Worse still, is this PDP’s bold face not a ploy to distract the Administration that is on a rescue mission?

“Nigeria is currently in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), after it was rescued from PDP. Yet, the same PDP has the audacity to constantly pillory the ‘doctors’ trying to save the ‘patient’,” Oyegun said.

Strong words we tell you. Very strong.

But Oyegun is drawing first blood from a PDP that is gradually finding its feet playing the role of an opposition. A party that knows where to hit the Buhari administration hard – and that is the economy.

In the set of numbered tweets posted by the @PDPNigeria handle moments ago, over 70 per cent – no, make that 80 – of its fact-based, measured commentary was centred on the state of the economy, and did it hit home or what?

See tweets below:

– Single digit inflation. It was 9.6% at the inception of the @MBuhari admin. It stands at 16.5% now pic.twitter.com/GonKdPNVfo

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

-A GDP at an average growth of 8% p/a in the last 10 yrs. #NGR is experiencing its first -tive GDP growth since 1999 pic.twitter.com/3ZdaMToThu

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

– The largest economy in African valued at over $500b.

– An economy that was reducing the employment rate. pic.twitter.com/9RS2tFTDpq

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

– An economy that had successfully increased per capita income from $299.4 in 1999 to $2640 in 2015 pic.twitter.com/DZ2qKyUgl4

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

– An economy that was diversifying by exponentially increasing non-oil revenue for the federation. pic.twitter.com/PeIgQk66Bj

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

– An economy that had successfully reduced its personnel cost over the last 5 years. pic.twitter.com/0XS1UgciD3

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

And the final shot…

8. There are NO economic indices anywhere in the world by which the @Mbuhari admin can be rated better than ours’. His performance as…1/2

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

… President thus far has been shambolic and on a daily basis he reverses the gains we made. 2/2

— PDP Nigeria (@PdpNigeria) August 19, 2016

We hope the president’s men can muster a comeback of some sort from this brutal put down. And If the PDP continues this way, they might find it easier getting into the Presidential Villa in 2019 than they’ve made headway in selecting a party chairman.