Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has promised Nigerians that he would run a friendly and all-inclusive government across all parts of Nigeria if elected president in 2023.
Abubakar, who spoke on Wednesday at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Akure, the Ondo state capital to kick off their campaign in the Southwest, however, said it is their number one priority to empower young men and women in the country.
The PDP presidential candidate, who promised to set aside $10 billion for the empowerment of youths if elected as president also said “we will provide enough funds for the education sector to survive so that our universities shall continue to work perfectly, not the one we are witnessing today. APC doesn’t care for our education.”
Speaking on the reasons why they started their Southwest campaigns in Ondo state, Abubakar said “we started our campaign rally in Ondo state in the Southwest deliberately because we want to show you that we appreciate what you have done for us in the last election. You have given us the highest votes in the Southwest and we will never forget you.
“That is why if you repeat the same thing again, we promise to deal with insecurity, we will also make sure that all the Federal roads links to Ondo state are very motorable.”
Read also: Why Presidential candidates’ manifestos do not excite us, by OAL
While the wife of the PDP presidential candidate, Titi Atiku Abubakar, who also spoke at the rally assured Nigerians that her husband will defeat Boko Haram and provide scholarships to students.
She said, “I want to tell you that my husband has done it before. The last election was won by my husband but they took it from us. My husband indeed is a Fulani but he is not a Fulani that kills and we have been together for long. I taught him our culture and tradition, and he is part of us. During Obasanjo, it was Atiku that brought the likes of Nasiru El-Rufai, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and others who did well for Nigeria.
“No Yoruba has ever been a First Lady and if we vote Atiku, it’s a vote for Yoruba. There is hunger in the land, don’t let the opposition deceive you, vote all PDP candidates during election.”
In his address, the PDP National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, urged the good people of Ondo state not to make a mistake but do the right thing by voting Atiku in the coming election.
Ayu said “Ondo is a PDP state. You are educated and enlightened people and that is why you always vote the PDP. We must work together to ensure victory. Ondo should give the PDP the highest votes in the Southwest.
“The country is in a bad shape, you need an experience leader to fix the country. Atiku and Obasanjo fixed the economy in 1999 and Atiku is coming back to fix the mess APC has created. He will unify the country, there will be jobs and adequate security.”
Earlier, the Vice Presidential candidate of the party and governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, charged the electorates to embark on house-house campaign in order to give the party a landslide victory come 2023.
Governor Okowa promised that Atiku led government will replicate his giant strides in the area of economic performance that will naturally boost the country security.
Dignitaries at the rally were Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom) Ademola Adekeke (Osun), former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, former governor of Osun state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former deputy governor of Ondo state, Agboola Ajayi among others.
