Makarfi Weeps over Bad Roads in South-east

A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, yesterday said he had a horrible experience plying the roads in the South-east region.

Makarfi spoke in Owerri, during his visit at the Imo State PDP secretariat.

While narrating his experience, he said travelling to Owerri by road had justified his decision that 90 per cent of his campaign would be on road projects.

Makarfi said: “As I was coming from Enugu to Owerri, the roads are bad. It is shocking. That is why I said 90 per cent of my campaign will be on road projects.

“Some people asked me to come by air and I said no, why should I do that? I want to feel the experience of our people and know their pains in view of solving them.”

According to Makarfi, “We must know what the electorate want. PDP is very democratic and it is a party that believes in dialogue. We could not have succeeded in the PDP national convention if many of you did not subscribe to dialogue.

“In 2007, I could have become the president if not for what happened. Then, I did not run away; I contributed my quota. As PDP members, we must believe in the party even when we lose. We must believe that God gives power. If you see me leaving PDP, then I am leaving politics.

“The policy of PDP is restructuring of Nigeria. PDP will bring Nigeria together on how to restructure Nigeria fairly. If you are a member of PDP and you don’t believe in restructuring, you should leave the party.”

While on restructuring, he said: “We should also look at institutional restructuring. If we have institutional restructuring, what happened in the National Assembly wouldn’t have happened. I support state police but we must do it in such a way that it does not serve only political leaders.”

Speaking also, a former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, said: “I don’t know if anybody knows Makarfi more than me because we were colleagues as governors for 8 years.

“During his time as governor of Kadunna state, there was nothing like Christians and Muslims. He abolished it through his policies and Christains and Musilims were the same and lived peacefully.”

While on a visit to Ebonyi State to consult with party members on his presidential ambition, Makarfi asked Nigerians not to judge all those justling to rule the country in 2019 by their looks alone as such could be deceitful.

Reacting to the allegations that he was too gentle to lead Nigeria, Makarfi said, “People said I was too gentle to defeat Modu Sheriff during the struggle to reposition PDP but what happened?

“Don’t be mistaken by looks. It is the action. In Kaduna State, people saw my actions. People said I was too gentle to handle the Kaduna Mafia but what happened? Those who will mistake me to be weak will be shocked but Nigerians will be happy.”

Makarfi said that having chaired the technical committee that set the agenda for the National Conference under President Obasanjo, restructuring Nigeria now would “be incorporating whatever Nigerians resolved and bringing in people that will dust my committee’s report, removing what is obsolete and bringing in what is new.