Atiku commends UN for support on Nigeria’s democratic process

 

.Flags Off Presidential Campaign In Ogun, Uyo on Monday ,Declares Self Fit

.Says Southeast a comfort zone

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja  And Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji

 

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has commended the United Nations for its interest and sustained commitment to the growth of democratic processes in Nigeria.

 

Atiku made the remarks when he received a delegation of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, led by Ambassador Mahamat Saleh, the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General, in Abuja on Tuesday.

 

In addition to the United Nations envoys, the former Vice President also hosted diplomats from the South African Development Community led by Ambassador Pule Mphothwe of Botswana and officials of the South Korean Embassy to Nigeria, led by Ambassador Kim Young-chae.

 

Ambassador Saleh noted that the United Nations has a special interest in ongoing events in Nigeria because of the special influence that Nigeria holds in the ECOWAS space and the continent at large.

 

He noted further that the UN and its agencies will continue to support Nigeria in its democratic processes because, “when Nigeria sneezes, it’s the whole of West Africa that catches the cold.”

 

Responding, Atiku thanked the United Nations, and its Secretary General for the “continuous interest in Nigeria.”

 

Atiku used the opportunity to present Ambassador Saleh with a copy of his policy document titled, My Covenant with Nigerians, noting that the document underscores the entirety of his policy plans if elected as President of Nigeria in next year’s general election.

 

Meanwhile,  The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Monday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital flagged off his presidential campaign ahead of the February 2023 presidential election.

 

Atiku who was represented by former Niger state governor, Aliyu Babangida said he remains the only candidate that can unify the multiplicity of ethnic groups in Nigeria.

 

Atiku who threw jibes at the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for riding a stationary bicycle to denounce his ill health rumour, posited that he remains the most healthy candidate to salvage Nigeria from the multifaceted challenges confronting her.

 

The former Vice President who said Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world, blamed the APC government for plunging the economy vowed to restructure the country.

 

“At the moment we are here to declare Atiku Ababkar campaign. You are aware that Nigeria has never been divided like this before. There is need for unity, that is why he is called unifier because he is a man that can bring unity. Only Atiku presidency can rescue us from security challenges. Only Atiku presidency can restructure Nigeria. There must be a state police to protect Nigeria.

 

“On the economy, there is extreme poverty in the land, therefore, members of PDP and fellow Nigerians in February 2023 let us elect Atiku Abubakar.  Only Atiku presidency can wake up our education and economy. Our University students have been at home for 8 months, our elementary schools have been shut, over 20million children are out of school, we have become poverty capital of the world.

 

” As you are aware Atiku is the healthiest presidential candidate in the country. Atiku is ready to rescue and develop Nigeria.”

 

He called on residents of the state to vote and support Chief Oladipupo Adebutu as the PDP governorship candidate in the state.

 

Also speaking, a former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau urged the party members to use their PVC to vote out APC from the State Assembly to the presidency.

 

He said, “Confirm the ownership of your PVC. It is the weapon to change the change in Nigeria and by the grace of God, with your hard work and commitment success will come to PDP.”

 

In his submission, a former Adamawa state governor, Boni Haruna promised not to take the people’s support for granted, appealing to PDP members to replicate their support for Atiku at the presidential primary on election day.

 

Also, The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has fixed Monday as its flag-off day for his presidential campaign in Akwa-Ibom state even as he maintained that he is still the candidate to beat in the South East.

 

Director General of the PDP presidential campaign council and Governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal speaking with the media after the inspection of the Atiku Campaign Office in Abuja, Tuesday said, “We are pleased to report to you and indeed Nigerians that the campaign is ready to move. By the grace of God, we are flagging off the campaign this coming Monday, the 10th of October 2023 at Uyo Akwa Ibom states. All arrangements have been made to have for a very successful flag off of the campaign. Our campaign is going to be issue based. We’re going to be marketing our candidates based on the program that we brought out, which is generally solution based.

 

“Atiku is very well prepared to provide the required leadership for this country at this time. He has the experience in governance at the federal level, which I believe none of the rest of the candidates can match. This is not the time for Nigerians to go for trial and error. It’s time for Nigerians to give it to the person that has been tested and who has experience do a good job, who would from day one hit the ground running as we have done for the inauguration of campaign council the very day INEC lifted the ban on campaigns for presidential election campaign on the 28th. Even that should confirm to Nigerians that this is the only party and indeed candidate that is prepared and ready to go.

 

“We seek for the collaboration of Nigerians and the understanding as we go about campaigns as I said, ours is going to be based on issues and we seek to have violence free electoral process. In any case, our principal has been known to be a peaceful man and his personality speaks for him as a gentleman.”

 

On the efforts made to resolve the crisis in the party,  Governor Tambuwal said, “We’re not involved in a war of attrition. It is a political disagreement and we’re working to resolve all of those issues.

 

On the dwindling popularity of Atiku Abubakar in the South East since the emergence of the Labour Party’s presidentialcandidate, Peter Obi,  the Sokoto state governor said, “We’ve traveled throughout the nooks and crannies of this country, particularly, both around the states before the primaries campaign, and he was in the southeast. Only last week, we were in Enugu the political capital of that region for consultations. Nostates during the consultation will be left out.

 

“So, we’re very prepared to go into the southeast and we believe that we’re still the number one candidate for the southeast and we are going to consult everywhere in all of the six political zones in this country.

 

Also, a spokesman of the campaign council, Mr Charles Aniagwu also affirmed that the crisis rocking the party would soon be over

 

Speaking on AIT programme,  Kakaaki, on Tuesday, Aniagwu said the party’s reconciliation efforts were yielding results bringing hope of resolving the crisis in no distant time.

 

He said that having inaugurated its Campaign Council, the party would flag-off its campaign on Monday in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom state capital.

 

According to Aniagwu, the party’s Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other leaders of the party were working hard to resolve all contending issues to enable it present a common front ahead of the 2023 general elections.

 

“Atiku has said he is not going to leave anybody behind so what we are doing is to ensure that everybody comes on board.

 

“Not long ago we inaugurated the Campaign Council and that means that the train has left the station but we are very mindful of the fact that as we move along the track of the 2023 general elections, we will stop at different stations to pick both old and new passengers.

 

“One of the causes of agitation in the country is the inability of the APC to carry parts of the country along in the governance process.

 

“But beyond the issue of the votes, Atiku is interested in carrying everybody along even after winning the election by the grace of God,”

 

He said Atiku’s 5-point agenda encapsulated in his policy document would address the nagging issues bedeviling the country.

 

“We are urging all Nigerians including those who are non-aligned to see the need to embrace the Atiku-Okowa ticket in their quest to govern Nigeria from 2023.

 

“It’s on record that Atiku is the only candidate that has been able to bring up a manifesto which is called “My Covenant With Nigerians”.

 

“What he is doing now is part of his desire to carry everybody along and we commend our other governors for remaining in the party to express their grievances within the party.

 

“I can assure you that at the end of the day the PDP will move as one family and as a cohesive force in addition to bringing other nigerians on board with a view to reversing the ugly situation that we find our country today.

 

“Be rest assured that in no too distant time, you will see a very peaceful PDP.”

 

He further said the Atiku-Okowa mandate would take care of the desires of the country’s youth population and urged Nigerians to support the ticket in its bid to rescue, rebuild and reposition the country from the ineptitude of the APC-led Federal Government.

 

“With Atiku’s plan, a number of issues that agitates the youths of our country would be addressed so that the country can begin to function and function properly,”

 

He said the APC were always referring to Lagos because the federal government had failed in the past seven years, adding that Abuja was becoming congested because the APC failed to construct new roads in the Federal Capital Territory.

 

“Because their performance at the national level is very abysmal hence they are running away from their real records and always referring to Lagos, a Lagos that gets flooded anytime it rains or the Lagos that people can’t move freely because of traffic congestion?

 

“For us we are going to by the grace of God talk about the country that works for all of us not a Lagos that is not even adding value to the standard of living of the people who live there.

 

” The kind of traffic congestion now in Abuja wasn’t there in 2015 and this is largely because the APC government has not been able to construct new roads since 2015 when they came on board,” Aniagwu stated.