I will unify Nigerians if elected President in 2023 - Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has assured that he will unify the country and return the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) back to power in 2023 if given the party’s presidential ticket.

Atiku Abubakar addressing the National Working Committee (NWC) party in Abuja on Thursday, stated that “ I am going to make sure that I reunite this country, I referred myself as the unifier.

Atiku also assured that he will deal decisively with security issues because there has to be rule of law, there has to be security.

Atiku said he cannot be the kind of President who lacks powers to control the security agencies
“We cannot recruit policemen because the two agencies are in court and we have a President who cannot bring under control his own heads of departments, not even ministers”

“So I’m not going to be that kind of President and you know that Mr. Chairman because you and I have worked in the same cabinet”

“ You also know I also promise to deal with the economy. So of course, after you have achieved unity, after you have achieved peace, the next is to deal with the economy.”

“Mr. Chairman and members of the National Working Committee, I’m really not here to lecture you, I’m just really here to inform you of my decision, to run again, and also to urge you to provide the right kind of leadership so that the best candidate can emerge.

“I dare say Mr. chairman, I am the best candidate. Under normal circumstances Mr. Chairman, this is a guy who has already 11 million votes in his kitty. And I think, as a party, you should give me the right of first refusal but we are in a democracy.

He therefore, urged the party to be fair, very credible, by giving every contestant the opportunity to face the electorate.

“We all know, every Nigeria knows that the APC has failed but we should not take Nigerians for granted. We should go all out to let them know APC has failed, It will continue to fail. No matter what gap they have come or they appear to be, they will continue to fail and PDP has not failed on your comparative analysis.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu in his response, assured that the party will continue to give reach aspirants a level playing field.
“ You know the circumstances under which this Party was founded. We fought against dictatorship. We vowed that we work together to build democracy for our country and to ensure that dictatorship will never raise its heads in this country.
“Luckily for us for the last 24 years, the PDP has been in the forefront of building democracy for our people.

Let me acknowledge the fact that you and I have been close friends personal friends for more than 30 years as it was indicated, we were key players in the Social Democratic Party and key players in the emergence of chief MKO Abiola .

“An election that was free and fair. From there we have been walking politically together. So you are a presidential aspirant today. But I want people to know that you are still my friend. I can’t deny you I never deny my friends including those who are in the other disastrous party. You know them because even there we have common friends who miss road, who normally should be here with us”