The Saminu Turaki’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday night reacted to the Independence Day anniversary speech by President Bola Tinubu.
The party particularly reacted to the aspect of the speech where Tinubu said the country had passed through its own Red Sea, saying the president has acted like this Biblical Pharaoh instead of Moses.
The main opposition party said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, adding that Nigerians are travelling through a Red Sea of economic pain caused by insensitive and irresponsible leadership foisted on the country by the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2015.
Tinubu had said: “Nigeria has corrected its course. We have passed through our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back. Let us go forward together, with faith in ourselves, faith in our country, and faith that the sacrifices we have made will yield their reward.
“The Promised Land before us is a Nigeria of abundance and opportunity; a nation where prosperity is broadly shared, where every child can dream beyond the circumstances of his birth, and where our country’s immense promise is finally reflected in the lives of our people.”
The statement by the PDP reads: “The president issued his Independence Day message across different media platforms. The message mirrored the biblical journey of the Israelites through the Red Sea from Egypt, tactically casting the president and his administration as Moses, who is leading the nation from slavery to freedom.
“However, our reality reveals something different. The fact is that Nigerians are travelling through a Red Sea of economic pain caused by insensitive and irresponsible leadership foisted on the country by the All Progressives Congress since 2015.
“The Presidency, in its statement, specifically said, “By 2023, poverty was rising, and hope was nearly gone. The country’s situation was darker than ever.” While this is true, as admitted by the Presidency, what is sad but even truer is that many Nigerians feel worse today than they did on May 29, 2023.
“Yes, Mr. President said Nigerians should not look back, because he knows that is where the truth is. But from where Nigerians stand, they are looking at the higher prices of rent, transport fares and school fees that they are grappling with.
“Nowhere is the pain more visible than in the price of food. Food prices remain high and unaffordable for millions of Nigerians. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, food inflation stood at 19.57% in August 2026.
“That means food prices are still rising, only more slowly, on top of the steep increases that families have already endured. The one-month dip in August, the first in six months, does not put food back on the table of the average household. In some states, the situation is even more desperate, with food inflation above 35%. For a family spending most of its income on food.
“These are not mere statistics; they mean empty plates or smaller portions. That is the context that the president and his handlers are afraid of facing, because the receipts are there.
“The president spoke of support for enterprise but ignored the reality that, even after the recent reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate from 26.5% to 23%, the cost of borrowing remains far too high for businesses to thrive. The last thing a responsible administration should do is peddle skewed narratives in response to a real-life crisis.
“These facts lead to only one conclusion: that most Nigerians prefer where they were in 2019 to where this administration has put them today. The lived experience of Nigerians was far better then than it is now, due largely to the reckless and insensitive economic policies and the unfortunate implementation strategy of the Bola Tinubu/APC-led administration. So clearly, Tinubu and the APC are the Pharaoh who is chasing Nigerians.
“As the elections approach in 2027, Nigerians will have an opportunity to elect their Moses, who should save them from the Pharaoh and the economic pain that they are currently facing.
“This is a Pharaoh who lounges and vacations abroad while the people suffer and grumble endlessly, whereas a Moses stays and goes with his people; he is embedded in, not detached from, the reality of his people. Most Nigerians agree that no administration in the history of Nigeria has put the country through the economic pain, polarisation, disunity, insecurity and threat to democratic consolidation as the APC-led Tinubu administration.
“We are therefore hopeful that this year’s Independence Day will provide Nigerians with a reference point for the political engagement that next year’s election offers. Just as the patriots of the struggle for independence fought relentlessly to attain self-rule, Nigerians are determined to courageously fight to send this ruinous Pharaonic administration, led by Bola Tinubu, out of power.
“We know that Nigerians see beyond the political gimmicks and theatrics currently being employed to induce and confuse voters, including the positioning of themselves as the Moses leading a movement from pain to prosperity.
“Nigerians will see them in the real context in which they should be seen: the Pharaoh punishing and pursuing Nigerians. As citizens, we are assured that, like the biblical Israelites, Nigerians will escape the Red Sea and arrive in Canaan, but the pursuing Pharaoh and his team will not.”
