Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has promised to tackle poverty and insecurity in the country as part of his blueprint to rescue Nigeria from its current political and economic challenges.
The former Vice-President said he would create jobs for the youth and return them to school if elected president next year.
He spoke on Monday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, at the flag-off of his presidential campaign, which was attended by party stalwarts from many parts of the country, including former governors, former Senate presidents, and the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu.
“When PDP came to power in 1999, we lifted Nigeria from poverty; we became the biggest economy in Africa but Nigeria wanted change and voted for change in 2015. But what we have seen is poverty, insecurity and lack of jobs,” Atiku said.
“Our children are no longer going to school. Today, we have inaugurated our campaign to rescue Nigeria from poverty and to bring back the unity that we require in this country,” he said.
The PDP flagbearer, who asked Nigerians to vote for his party, said it would be a return to unity and prosperity, adding that there would be no more hunger and insecurity.
Addressing the youth who thronged the venue of the presidential campaign launch, he said: “I swear, if you vote for PDP, I will return you to school.”
He commended the Akwa Ibom State government, saying it had remained a strong base for the PDP and this has resulted in unprecedented development and good governance.
Earlier, the national chairman of the party, Ayu, thanked the party’s supporters for the large turnout, saying that the PDP train had started. “We want every member of the PDP family on board,” he added.
He said that Nigerians were not interested in “personal quarrels” but looking for PDP to come and rescue them, adding that Nigerians “are hungry and suffering from all kinds of ailments”.
He said the PDP would restore the economy if elected, adding: “The economy would grow when all support our president who is coming into power next year. Therefore, we want to thank all; the party will not disappoint Nigerians.”
Before his speech, he directed that a minute of silence be observed in honour of Vincent Ogbulafor, a former chairman of the party, who recently passed on.
Udom Emmanuel, chairman of the party’s presidential campaign council and governor of Akwa Ibom, called on PDP South-South governors and leaders to form a common front that would ensure the party reclaims power and revive the nation’s ailing economy.
He made the call while hosting the PDP South-South zonal meeting, held at Ibom Hall, Uyo.
Emmanuel stressed the need for South-South leaders of the party to demonstrate the unity of purpose and strength as a party that would make a difference in revamping the economy again.
He said: “We are gathered here this evening so that we can have a common front and also negotiate strongly as a people because if we go individually, we won’t be able to make an impact. But if we go as a group and a team, I want to believe that we will make a very strong impact.
“Let us rest assured that in the next dispensation, this country will go back to PDP and on PDP this country must stand. I want to believe that once we return next year, we will take back the economy of Nigeria and once we strengthen the economy, hope will rise and things will fall back in pleasant places.”
In his remarks, Ifeanyi Okowa, the vice-presidential candidate of PDP and governor of Delta State, emphasised the need for unity and cooperation of South-South governors and leaders, saying his strength as the vice-presidential candidate of the party lay in their collective support to rescue Nigeria from the harsh economic crunch.
Aminu Tambuwal, director-general of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation for the 2023 election and governor of Sokoto State, said with the flag-off of the presidential campaign in Uyo, the party was set for victory.
Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State, and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, in their goodwill messages, called for support and mobilisation from ward and unit levels across the country.
They said with the strength of the PDP in the South-South region, the party was set to restore the country to its glory days.
Umo Eno, the governorship candidate of PDP in Akwa Ibom, expressed confidence in the party to deliver across the state in the general elections next year.
