The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day speech on October 1 as “boring, uninspiring and full of false statistics,” saying it fails to reflect the realities of Nigerians’ daily lives.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the only project the All Progressives Congress (APC) government can boast of over the past decade is insecurity.

He added that the president’s body language during the speech suggested he did not even believe the content he delivered.

“The speech was a litany of untruth and propagation of false hope,” Ologunagba said, criticizing the president’s claim that the economy has improved as being insensitive to Nigerians grappling with failed and poorly implemented economic policies.

He further condemned the administration for “weaponising poverty,” referring to the N25,000 cash transfer as mere tokenism.

According to Ologunagba, an Independence Day address should serve as a stock-taking exercise. Nigerians expected details of the trillions of naira reportedly saved from subsidy removal over the last two years, as well as information on loans collected and the specific projects financed with these funds.

“The failure to account for this fund confirms allegations of massive looting under his watch. Otherwise, we challenge the president to provide a full account,” he said.

On party matters, Ologunagba reiterated that PDP is focused on its November 15 National Convention and dismissed statements by National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu regarding the alleged dissolution of the Akwa Ibom State PDP executive committee.

He described it as anti-democratic for the state governor to claim control of the party structure in Akwa Ibom after leaving the party.