Makarfi: It’s wrong to play politics with the economy

Ahmed Makarfi, the caretaker committee chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says rather than play politics, all hands must be on deck to salvage the economy.

His party recently asked President Muhammadu Buhari to resign for destroying the economy.

Speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Thursday, Makarfi explained that if the economy was bad it was the political class that would be blamed as a whole.

He said by coming together to fix the economy all parties must not agree on political matters but must have the country’s interest first above all.

“All hands needed to be on deck. There is a time to play politics, and there is a time whether you the party in government or not, we should not play politics with certain issues,” Makarfi said.

“If the economy is bad, it is the political class that is to be blamed.‎ Indeed before the political class, the military class should share part of the blame because they have done a lot of damage to the system.

“Let us own up to the wrong we have done and let us collectively repent and come together for the sake of the ordinary man and woman and even those that are not ordinary and save our nation from economic doom.‎”

Makarfi said he shares the same views with Olubunmi Okojie, a Cardinal, who recently wrote an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Long before that letter and as a matter of fact, before the President was sworn into office and to be candid, my personal belief was that the country was in a serious problem and that we were heading into more serious problems,” Makarfi said.

He said that it should not be seen as failure if “we should come together and salvage our country”.

“In any case, people are voted because they were dissatisfied with the last administration. If they were satisfied they would have returned all the past administration at all levels,” Makarfi added.

“Having not returned them because people believe that things will improve with this government, it is good to go forward and see what we can do and improve on our economy.”