Fuel Scarcity: Don’t Blame Kachikwu For Your Party’s Woes, Okorie Tells Tinubu

**Insists APC must fulfill its "3000 promises"
The member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo federal Constituency of Ebonyi state in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Okorie, has faulted the recent scathing attack by the leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu, on the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu on the lingering fuel scarcity.

Okorie in a statement on Sunday said that Tinubu derailed along the line by using the attack as a platform to blame the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and shore up his party image, than genuine concern for the people.

According to the Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, the APC leader should take part of the blame for the failure of his party to fulfill their promises to Nigerians, instead of dwelling on excuses or looking for a scapegoat.

Tinubu had over the weekend descended very heavily on Kachikwu, for alleged unguarded and insensitive comments on the perennial fuel scarcity brought upon Nigerians by the Buhari government since the last quarter of 2015.

But the lawmaker while agreeing with most of Tinubu's concerns and criticisms directed at the minister, however disagreed with him on linking the current handling of affairs to that of former PDP administration.

Unfortunately, he said, ‘Tinubu mysteriously derailed from this ennobling track for no sensible reason than, probably, an urge to redeem some modicum of public respect and confidence for the APC, which evidently has lost more political capital through a consistent display of plan-lessness and crass incompetence than even its extreme opponents could have contemplated, a few short months ago.

According to Okorie, Tinubu did this by attempting a weak and non-contextual connection of the PDP to the "undemocratic excesses" of a rapidly evolving ‘fascist regime’ of the APC.

"With the greatest of respect to the 'Lion of Bourdillon', the APC has a responsibility to deliver on its over 3000 promises to Nigerians and would do well to keep its eye on the ball than this compulsive and overburdened recline into the past” he said.

"The 'issues that press us' cannot be resolved by PMB and the APC by the continual bashing of the PDP which has long yielded power. The only reason the APC is in government today is because they laid alluring claims to some magical and often esoteric 'solutions' of the problems of the Nigerian nation.

"Tinubu, an accomplished chartered accountant is well aware that 'sunk costs' or irretrievable expenditure in whatever quantum add no value to corporate plans and bottom line.

“He is in the know that clear plans/policies, focused implementation and diligent monitoring systems are the basic parameters for productive governance.
"Can he, in clear conscience and at the risk of personal integrity, point to the PMB/APC policies on any sector of the economy, including the petroleum sector to 'support his confidence that President Buhari and this government can resolve the issues that press us? " he queried.

Above all, Okorie noted, the country deserve to move on, saying if PMB and the APC are overwhelmed by the enormity of the problems, their honourable option is to tow their established line: "lick its vomit" by apologizing openly once more to Nigerians for deceiving them with esoteric and unrealizable promises of "Change", which many Nigerians now believe to have been intended "Chain".