Atiku: Vote Me to Save Nigeria from Collapse

•Tinubu: APC’s Ideals Will Be Projected Under Me

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The two frontline presidential candidates for the 2023 general election – Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – have taken their battle for the nation’s presidency a notch further, when they tried to outdo each other with promises of what the Nigerian people stood to benefit electing them as president.

While Atiku called on Nigerians to vote for him, because he would save the country from collapse, Tinubu assured the Nigerian people that his administration would work to strengthen the progressive ideals of the party.

Atiku spoke at a rally on Monday at the Ranchers Bees Stadium, Kaduna, while Tinubu spoke on Tuesday at the day two of the Ministerial Performance Review Retreat of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, held at the Conference Hall of the State House, Abuja.

Atiku said Nigerians could not afford to vote for the ruling APC again in 2023, because the party has failed, however, posited that, if elected president in 2023, he would end banditry that has continued to plague Kaduna and other parts of the north.

Thanking the people of Kaduna for giving him the highest number of votes in 2019 and urging them to replicate it in 2023, Atiku said, “I will take issues concerning Kaduna serious if the people vote en mass and ensure that I win the 2023 election. Let me thank you for your support in 2019. You gave me the highest number of votes in 2019 and I believe you will do so this time around.

“I have come here on behalf of PDP to tell you If you vote for us, we will end insecurity in Kaduna. We will revive the industries in Kaduna in partnership with the private sector of Kaduna,” he said.

The PDP candidate went ahead to condemn attempts by thugs to disrupt the rally, stressing that such act was undemocratic and urged political parties to call their supporters  to order and ensure that campaigns were conducted freely and peacefully.

Meanwhile, Atiku has travelled to Europe on business trip and consultations.

A statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, stated that the former Vice President travelled last night on a scheduled trip to meet with the technical partners of one his business entities that was impacted by the Covid-19 global lockdown and the consequent economic downturn.

The meeting will also focus on conclusive discussions for a planned expansion of its production facility.

On his part, Tinubu, who spoke on how to improve on the progressive objectives of the party, which he said he intended to keep alive, promised to further strengthen national unity and sense of national purpose.

Observing that these objectives had charactised the works of the present administration, he assured the people that his government would be all out  to providing the best of progressive governance, with the focus on further projecting and prospering the Nigerian people.

His words: “Mr. President and other members of the administration, may I state the following: if elected, I will give due honour to your efforts and your legacy. I will work in the spirit of cordial unity, national purpose that informed the creation of our party and characterised the work of your government.

“Most importantly, that the way and means of a Tinubu government will be devoted to further project and prosper the Nigerian people, because our guiding principle will be to provide the best of progressive governance and reform our beloved land.

“Consider these three promises to be a positive outgrowth of your nine-point agenda. On behalf of all well-meaning Nigerians, I wish you a successful retreat and pray to Almighty God that your efforts will continue to bear fruits for our nation and its future.”

Tinubu, who pointed out that Buhari’s administration had done much to keep faith with Nigerians, as well as giving life to the party’s promises to Nigerians and their objectives, however, noted that various unpleasant circumstances, both local and international, militated against its efforts.

According to him, “This administration inherited a national condition steeped in difficulty unlike any other. Predecessor-governments ignored or lack the will to tackle serious problem ranging from insecurity to corruption. As if that was not enough, you confronted a series of events unprecedented, compounded by the severity, complexity and novelty.

“COVID attacked both global health and the global economy. Throughout most of your tenure, oil prices waned and edged and consequently, so did our revenue. The Ukrainian crisis and other conflicts, coupled with severe weather events in many nations, further depleted economic production and undermined international supply chains of critical items, especially food. You did more than persevere and withstood these adverse storms, despite it all, you made historic progress”.

He listed some of the achievements of the Buhari administration, saying, “During this retreat, you have been assessing and will still assess the status of your nine-point agenda. You will discuss things in great detail. Yet, permit me to highlight a few points to prompt the memory of those, who somehow tend to forget it the recent past.

“Upon entering office, you faced a situation, where deadly terrorists were planting flags on our national territory, proclaiming an illegal state within our legitimate state. Because of your collective work, they no longer plant those flags, they dare not.

“Their boast of conquest are no longer heard. You have put us on the road to defeating this menace. By the grace of Almighty God, we shall persist until terrorists and those like them are utterly removed from the face of our nation.

“The progress you made increasing farm productivity while improving the condition of the average farmer, were important policy interventions, helping the nation overcome the global supply chain disruptions that threaten our food security.

“Despite financial headwinds, you embarked on an unparalleled expansion of the national infrastructure. Work in the power sector may be slow, but it will show some dividends amid increased investors’ confidence in this area,” the former governor of Lagos State, said.