The Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari, on his 78th birthday.

The party, however, said God had kept him alive to attain the age so that he could ruminate on his past misdeeds, seek forgiveness and do restitution.

The appeal was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the PDP Zonal Director of Media and Publicity, Lere Olayinka.

The party said he should use the occasion of his 78th birthday to seek forgiveness for the sins he committed against the people of South-West Nigeria, rather than going about celebrating amid his people, whose over 300 children are being held captive by terrorists.

“God must have kept him so that he can have enough time to ruminate over his past misdeeds and seek restitution.

“He frustrated the progress of the South-West, abandoned the region when he was Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund under late General Sani Abacha and has done nothing for the region since 2015.

“The Metroline project was scrapped by Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos taxpayers. If Buhari had not cancelled that project, transportation in Lagos would have been better than it is now,” it said.

The PDP listed the series of sins Buhari allegedly committed against the people of the South-West, especially when he was the military Head of State.

The statement read in part, “It is on record that in 1984, he impounded the Nigerian passport of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and prevented him from visiting his doctors at Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota, USA. The passport was only returned to him with courtesies by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1985. It was, however, too late as Awolowo died in 1987!

“It is also on record that with President Buhari’s directive, Chief Olabisi Onabanjo was abducted by military men while recuperating from a surgical operation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. He was sent to Bauchi prison.

“President Buhari sent our notable leaders like Onabanjo, Jakande, Chief Michael Ajasin, Bola Ige, Chief Bisi Akande and others to jail for committing no offence other than showing commitment to the development of the region and welfare of the people.

“Curiously, in April this year, when he was granting state pardon to those he sent to jail as military Head of State, the President did not remember to extend this pardon to Chief Bisi Akande, despite being his party man and one of those who ensured his electoral victory in 2015 and 2019.

“Therefore, Mr President, as you celebrate your 78 birthday, take heed to this wise counsel and seek forgiveness from the Almighty Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) and the people you have caused untold sufferings, especially those in the South-West.”

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.