Atiku in Oyo, promises all inclusive government, security, restructuring

….PDP will make Nigeria work again, says Okowa

….We will make life better for Nigerians, Ayu pledges

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has reiterated his determination to run an all inclusive government, where all parts of the country will be represented, if elected as the next President of Nigeria.

Atiku equally said, emphatically, that security of Nigerians and Nigeria will be accorded top priority under his administration as the nation’s President.
The PDP presidential flag bearer said these on Thursday while addressing the party’s presidential campaign rally in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

At the rally held at Mapo hall, Ibadan, which attracted Governors, party chieftains and supporters, the former Vice President re-echoed his earlier promise of embarking on the restructuring of the country when given the made to lead the country come the February 25 general election in the country.

His words, “Every part of this country will be represented in our government, not like what the APC command is doing.
“We also commit to making sure that we control and always take control of your security situation, so that there is law and order in every part of this country.

These are our commitments”, he said.
Continuing, Atiku said, “Now, this region of the Southwest, has been known to agitate over restructuring. By restructuring, we mean giving more powers or giving more autonomy and money to the states.

“Now, it is one of the five pillars of our programme to make sure we implement restructuring, meaning that we give you more resources and more powers so that you can develop your respective zones and states as well as your local government.

This is a commitment.
“Again, we are committed to making sure that there are no more strikes in our university, meaning we will fund our universities and pay our teachers on time so that we don’t have any disruptions to our academic activities.

“Now, Southwest is known to be also a business center. That’s why in our economic program, we are committed to making sure that the industrialization of the Southwest is achieved in support with the federal government. This is a commitment.

“So, there are five major commitments we made to the people of this country, the Unity, we must make sure, must be inclusive. It is not like the commitments of the APC in the last seven to eight years, everything they have committed, they have failed to implement”, he said.

Atiku therefore appealed to the people of Oyo state to support PDP all the way from top to bottom, adding, “together we can march into victory and progress for our great country”.

The PDP Vice Presidential candidate and Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa assured that the party and Atiku will embark on the process of bringing back a Nigeria that will create jobs for the youths, when elected into office.

In the words of Okowa, “Working with all of you and Governor Seyi Makinde, we will begin the process of bringing back a Nigeria that will create jobs for our youths, we can have a future for ourselves.

“Our youths don’t be deceived by what you see on social media, we are talking about party politics, experience of those who are contesting. Atiku is the only person that has the required experience to take us out of the challenge that we have today”, he said.

Also speaking at the rally, the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu said, “Eight years ago, some people came with lies and propaganda and deceived you, that they are going to give you a change. They brought something called change. Everyone of you here is indebted because every day they are borrowing.

“As a party in government, we (PDP) made life better for every Nigerian. We were working on it until you were deceived.

“After the election, there will be no APC in Nigeria. They will disappear from the surface of the Nigeria air and back to the small parties that they were.

“I’m calling on our grieved members to come back home because we are going to win. We shall win at every level, PDP will sweep this country, all our state House of Assembly, our National Assembly members, our governors, and of course, we are going back to the villa.

“We shall be inaugurating the president this year by the grace of God. Nigerians will know that PDP is back. We are not just back, we are back to work for you, to make sure that we improve your roads, we improve education because the other party didn’t even care when our children were at home for one year. That is not a government, that is irresponsibility.

“PDP will make sure that schools are open. roads are good, food is cheaper, fuel is better and that is what you are fighting for.

“You are not standing in the sun for nothing. You are standing in the sun because you want the quality of your life to improve and we shall improve it all across Nigeria”, Ayu assured.

The Director-General of the PDP presidential campaign management committee and Governor of Sokoto State, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, at the rally, said, “We all know the position of Oyo State in Nigerian politics. Oyo has been and remained the melting pot of the south western politics of Nigeria, we are therefore not surprise with what we are seeing playing out here in the state.

“Let me commend my younger brother, my friend, governor Seyi Makinde for allowing the democratic spirit to play out by allowing each and every member of our political party to participate in this campaign. This is very commendable, I expect no less from him.

“You must have notice the train in the south west, we in the PDP in the south west, we are in a very strong competition in the south west and by the grace of God we are determined to win the south west before any other zone.

I commend governor Seyi Makinde, the party chairman for speaking to you to come out end masse to vote for the PDP from top to bottom, from bottom up.

“That is the only way we can compliment each other to salvage Nigeria, unite Nigeria, rescue Nigeria and indeed to make Nigeria great again”, the Sokoto State Governor said.