Jonathan:I'm surprised that those who attacked me over N87 pump price are silent now that it's N143

Former President Goodluck Jonathan says he is
surprised that those who criticised him for leaving the
pump price of fuel at N87 are not speaking out now
that it has been jerked up to N143.

In 2012, Jonathan’s administration increased fuel
price from N67 to N97 but reduced it to N87 in
January 2015.

At the time, the move was seen as political, given that
it was in an election year.

Speaking on Thursday when Tunde Adeniran, one of
the chairmanship aspirants of the PDP, visited him in
his Abuja office, Jonathan defended the decisions he
took on the price of fuel.

In what seems to be an indirect attack on the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC), Jonathan said the PDP
led Nigerians well in its 16 years of being in power
“even though some people came up with propaganda
and lies that 16 years of the party in government was
a waste”.

“My government was severely criticised for increasing
the pump price of petroleum from N67 to N97 at a
time that global crude price was going for over 100
dollars,” Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan’s spokesman
quoted him as saying.

“The pump price was later reduced to N87 when the
price of crude oil dropped and they attacked us that it
was supposed to be lower.

“Those who criticised my administration are not
talking again now that the global crude oil is about 53
dollars per barrel and the pump price of petrol is
N143.”

He said the PDP needs a chairman that can return it to
government and as well correct a sitting president if he
makes mistake.

“We must do the right thing. We must elect a
chairman that will run the party democratically,” the
former president said.

“We need a courageous chairman that knows that
imposition is destructive.

“We need a chairman who by God’s grace if we win
election by 2019, when the president makes certain
mistakes, he will be courageous enough to correct
him.

“We need a chairman that can lead us to victory and
sustain that victory.

“What we need is a person that can give proper
leadership for this country, a chairman that can lead
us to elect good material for the presidency.

“We need a chairman that will bring the proper change
and economic growth for this country.”

TheCable