Bayelsans will Die Working for Atiku’s Emergence as President, Says Jonathan

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the people of Bayelsa State would die to work for the emergence of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The former president gave the assurance Tuesday at the presidential campaign of the party in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, adding that Atiku is the kind of person that would bring the whole Nigeria together.

He said: “My message is very clear and the same wherever I go to talk about Atiku Abubakar. Politics is a game that when you play, you should have your people in mind. I always tell people that if you are interested in making money, go and establish business and run your business the way you want.

“But if you want political office, it is meant for the good of the people, to improve society. It is not the office that you use to punish people. That is not the purpose of politics.

“This is somebody that appreciates Bayelsans; somebody that recognises Bayelsans; somebody that loves the Ijaw people. He is the kind of person that we Bayelsans must die to work for. He is the kind of person that will help us because he knows us, he has been relating with us.”

Jonathan called on Bayelsans not to mortgage the interest of the people by playing politics of the stomach.

“Bayelsans, our eyes must be open. Let us not play politics of stomach and you mortgage the interest of your people. Politics is all about the people. Politics is not an individual business. And we have looked at all the candidates – all of them are good people – but among the good people you will get the best. Atiku is the best candidate.”

On his part, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, said that the election is about the future of the youth and indeed the country.

He said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had failed Nigerians in all the three purported tripod through which the Buhari administration came to power.

The PDP presidential hopeful said that Buhari has failed in the promise to repair the economy, fight corruption and insecurity in the land.

Atiku said: “We thank you all the people of Bayelsa for being loyal to the PDP. For being loyal to Nigeria because this election that is coming is about the future of our county.

“It’s about the future of our youths and our women. Since APC came to power, they promised three things: they promised to repair the economy, to make it better than what they took from PDP but they have made it worse.

“They said they came to fight corruption. Today, Transparency International says we are more corrupt than when PDP was in power. They said they came to secure Nigeria but today there is insecurity in the North-east, North-central and North-west. Are we secure?”

Also, the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, said that President Buhari is now a full blown dictator with his true colour now out for all to see.

He said after breaking the country with his nepotic and divisive governance, the president has gone further to flout the constitution.

Secondus stated: “The president has put on his Army uniform and is busy breaking the constitution, which is the soul of our nationhood.

“The APC calls it politics and wants us not talk about it but we must talk about it because constitution is the basis of our existence as a nation.”

He also queried the Buhari administration’s corruption record, noting that the reputable global body like Transparency International has confirmed that the regime has one of the worst corruption records.

“If Buhari is not corrupt, where did the wife get the N2.6 billion his ADC allegedly stole that they arrested and detained him?” He asked.