Benue State governor Samuel Ortom has blamed Nigeria’s constricting economy on the retrogressive policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr. Ortom, a second term governor under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, averred that the widespread redundancy of Nigeria’s youth population triggered the nationwide #EndSARS protest, which sparked unrest across the country due to poor handling of the demonstration by the Buhari administration.

In a veiled reference to his Ebonyi counterpart’s recent defection to the APC, Mr. Ortom had, while commissioning infrastructure projects in Rivers at the invitation of Governor Nyesom Wike on Tuesday, queried why a sane individual would muster the courage to jilt the PDP for the ruling party.

“Today, there is no more employment for our youths — that gave rise to the youths’ restiveness agitation called #EndSARS protest,” the Benue chief executive said, according to a statement issued Tuesday in Port Harcourt by Governor Wike’s spokesman Kelvin Ebiri.

“I think any right-thinking man should not be thinking about leaving PDP for any party or even the ruling party,” Mr. Ortom stated, adding that “as of today, the ruling party has not given us equity, fairness and justice — that is why we are having problems in this country.”

In his submission, Governor Wike who flagged-off the commissioning of three road projects in the Rivers capital, dared his colleagues in the APC to showcase their development projects if they had any.

“We challenge the ruling party to tell their states to roll out projects and invite people to come and commission them,” Mr. Wike said.

The fiery governor alluded that the simultaneous commissioning of projects across PDP-controlled states, was testimony to the fact that only the party meant well for the Nigerian people.

A spokesman for the APC in Rivers did not immediately return a request seeking comments from Peoples Gazette.

Many Nigerians have repeatedly argued that the country was worse off under the APC-led federal government which assumed power in 2015, than it was under preceding administrations of the PDP.

The Nigerian economy plunged into its second recession under President Buhari last month, with food inflation rising by over 100 percent since he took up the reins of power five years ago.