Stampedes: PDP mourns victims, accuses APC of neglect

The Peoples Democratic Party has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of approximately 39 Nigerians during palliative distribution events in Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the tragic loss of 35 children at a funfair in Oyo State.

In a statement released on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, lamented that the incidents highlight the dire consequences of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government’s “anti-people policies,” which he claims are pushing citizens to desperation and death.

On December 18, 2024, 35 children lost their lives while many others sustained critical injuries during a funfair at the Islamic High School in the Bashorun area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Similarly, at least 39 Nigerians were killed in stampedes during food distribution events in Okija, Anambra State, and Maitama, Abuja, as crowds scrambled for essential supplies.

Ologunagba described the events as heartbreaking, emphasising that despite Nigeria’s wealth of resources, citizens are left to struggle and die for food.

“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describes the widespread food stampedes in the country as an ugly testament to the alarming levels of misery, poverty, hunger, starvation, hopelessness, and desperation for survival currently plaguing our nation under the overtly insensitive, corrupt, and rudderless Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government,” Ologunagba said.

He continued: “The party laments the tragic stampedes at private events in Oyo and Anambra States as well as the FCT, Abuja, which claimed the lives of about 60 vulnerable citizens, including children, who were desperately struggling for food as a result of pervasive hunger brought on by the APC’s anti-people policies.”

The PDP further accused the APC administration of wrecking the economy and deepening poverty to the point where Nigerians are driven to acts of desperation, including suicide and dangerous migration in search of survival.

“It is heartbreaking that despite our abundant resources, Nigerians are subjected to agonising conditions where they die struggling for food,” Ologunagba said.

He condemned the APC as a party of “political vampires and buccaneers” who, he alleged, show no regard for human life and profit from citizens’ suffering.

Ologunagba criticised the government for failing to invest in agriculture and food production, which he said would alleviate hunger.

“This also explains why the APC administration has rejected all advice and suggestions by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to review the hasty implementation of suffocating policies, including abrupt increases in petroleum prices and the floating of the naira, despite their crippling effect on the economy and citizens,” he noted.

The PDP also accused APC leaders of mismanaging resources, engaging in large-scale corruption, and diverting funds meant for public welfare into personal pockets through schemes like budget padding, contract inflation, and palliative racketeering.

Ologunagba called on Nigerians to hold the APC accountable for these tragedies, urging compensation for victims’ families and an immediate review of economic and tax policies to stem further suffering.

“Our party insists that any responsible government would have introduced meaningful intervention programmes to alleviate suffering and improve the welfare of the masses, which is the primary duty of governance,” the statement added.

The PDP extended condolences to Governor Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State over the tragic loss of children, as well as to the families affected by the food stampedes in Anambra and Abuja.

The party also called for thorough investigations into the incidents to prevent future occurrences.