By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the new price of N123.50k price per litre as announced by the federal government.
In a statement on Thursday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the appropriate price per litre be fixed at N90.
The party described the recent cut in price from N125 to N123.50 as offensive and fraudulent, adding that it’s a further display of cruelty and insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians by the administration.
The PDP insisted that given the slump in the price of fuel and crude oil in the international market, the correct pump price of fuel is between N80 to N90 per litre.
It described the latest N123.50k pump price as unacceptable, adding that it amounted to fleecing Nigerians.
The party carpeted the administration for attempting to delude Nigerians by “tweaking” the cost decimals to create a misleading impression of price reduction while fleecing the unsuspecting public.
The PDP challenged the administration to explain how it arrived at the N123.5 pump price, instead of the appropriate price of N90, in view of the fall in international price.
The PDP challenged the federal government to publish the full prevailing landing cost, the prevailing three percent depot cost and the three percent trucking cost as well as the retail outlet administrative cost before it can justify why price should be above N90.
Continuing, the PDP said, “It indeed smacks of heartlessness that the All Progressives Congress (APC), its leaders and cronies in government circle are rather manipulating fuel costs at this critical time when other governments across the world are seeking ways to mitigate the economic hardship being faced by their citizens.
“Our party maintains that since Nigerians earlier had to bear the brunt of high cost of fuel in the face of high oil prices in the international market, it is only fair that they also enjoy the benefits of the cut in international prices; an advantage the APC had continued to deny them.
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“The PDP invites Nigerians to note how the APC and its leaders had remained silent and failed to support the demand for reduction of fuel price; a development that only points to apparent complicity in this sleazy scheme against our citizens.
“The PDP, therefore, charges the APC and its administration to immediately reduce the pump price to the appropriate price of N90 as well as refund the accruable, so far, from the N35 per liter difference and channel same to provision of palliatives to Nigerians.
“Our party also challenges the APC to join the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians in our persistent demand that President Buhari orders the recovery of over N14 trillion oil money stolen by APC leaders in the last four years including the stolen N9trillion detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, and redirect same to the welfare of Nigerians.
“Furthermore, the PDP reiterates its demand for the establishment of Eminent Nigerians Group to manage donations towards mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and ensure that the palliatives get to venerable Nigerians without any political and bureaucratic bottlenecks”.
