Nigeria needs a visionary leader like me in 2023,  Atiku declares

 

.Declaration, empty rhetorics, says Afegbua

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday marshalled out reasons why Nigerians should elect him president in 2023.

 

Atiku gave the reasons when he formally declared his intention to run for the office of the president in the 2023 election.

 

Atiku, who made the declaration at a crowded International Conference Centre in Abuja, said Nigeria is like a sinking ship that must be urgently rescued.

 

He prides himself as that rescuer that the country urgently needs.

 

“Under my captainship, this ship will sail to brighter days by the grace of God. This is a journey I will take with all Nigerians,” he said.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, the presidential hopeful said the most fundamental right of every Nigerian is the right to life.

 

He, who lamented that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has failed to protect the life of Nigerians, vowed that “under my Presidency, I will not tolerate insecurity.”

 

Taking a swipe at the APC, Atiku said: “They said we should go back to farms. How can Nigerians return to the farms when you have not secured the farms?

 

“When the APC came in 2015, they met a debt profile of N12tn. But now we have more than N32tn in debt. Under my watch, I will reduce borrowing,” he added.

 

The former Vice president stressed that the country is in dire need of visionary leadership like himself. He described the current state of Nigeria to that of “a sinking ship that must be urgently rescued.”

 

“I offer myself to rescue the ship. Under my captainship, this ship will sail to brighter days by the grace of God. This is a journey I will take with all Nigerians.

 

“Under my Presidency I will focus on five key areas; unity, security, economy, education and devolving more powers to the federating units. I am the unifier that is coming to bind the broken union. Under my Presidency there will be a new Nigeria where everybody has an equal voice and is heard,” he said.

 

In his address Governor Fintiri who is the chief host told the crowd that Atiku Abubakar represents a special treasure to Nigeria, adding that “He is probably the most experienced person in the presidential race at the moment not only in our party, the PDP but in the country.”

 

He said Atiku’s lack of victory over the years, might have been for a purpose like this moment, “like 2023 when Nigeria will be led by a person of his capacity, acumen and pedigree to lead the country after colossal damage meted on it by the fallen APC.”

 

Fintiri said, “Atiku Abubakar is well prepared to lead Nigeria at his most demanding moment. He built a world-class university in the heart of the most educationally disadvantaged region in Nigeria. He has created wealth and provided jobs as a politician. His democratic credential is unequalled. He is the President that will unite and secure the country, salvage the economy and create jobs for our citizens.”

 

Among the dignitaries at the declaration were former Vice President Muhammad Namadi Sambo; Adamawa State Governor Umaru Fintiri; Former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Dino Melaye, Ambassador Roland Omowa and Josephine Anenih among others.

 

However, Former Edo Commissioner for Information and Orientation and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Kassim Afegbua, has described as “empty rhetorics”, the declaration of former Vice President, Alh. Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday.

 

Prince Afegbua dismissed the declaration as desperate and opportunistic, the motivations of the former Vice President to run again in 2023.

 

He queried his absence since the last election and accessed him of pursuing a selfish quest for power.

 

His statement read: “At a time like this in the life of our nation, we need real men who can stand and struggle to birth a new paradigm. Watching Alhaji Atiku Abubakar today on television talking about unity of the country, youths involvement in his government, economic recovery and a whole lot of other issues invoked a sense of loss in me.”

 

“Why do old men always want to play on the sensibilities of the youths by declaring that they too are youths just to score cheap political mileage? They have used their own quota, they have used our own quota, and they want to use our children’s quota also by declaring that they are youths at such an old age. All in the name of politics!!! Haba!!.”

 

“Atiku has failed woefully to provide opposition and voice since 2019 after the elections. In the last seven years, he ought to have led peaceful protests condemning the poor state of affairs in the country. He ought to have conscientized, mobilised and sensitized Nigerians against the misrule of the All Progressives’ Congress, APC, instead of just waiting to throw his hat in the ring for methuselah contest in 2023.”

 

“His declaration today, to state the obvious, is an act of political desperation. The PDP leadership has set today, Thursday, for the inauguration of the zoning committee. Instead of waiting for the outcome of the zoning committee, he hurriedly bought the nomination form and formally declared his intention to run. Ask yourselves, have you heard his voice since 2019 against the misgovernance of the APC? Did you see him play the role of opposition? Did you see him visit Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna to share in their aspirations and reassure the people at times of crises and killings? Must it be all about your selfish aspirations and ambition?”

 

“No doubt, APC has crippled the economy and dislocated the psyche of an average Nigerian. Insecurity especially kidnapping and armed banditry have become the fastest growing industries in Nigeria under the APC rulership. If we had a true opposition figure in the person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, PDP’s candidate in the 2019 presidential contest, it would have been expected that he would in all these years of decimation and destruction,  engaged the ruling party, rather he ran away to Dubai to await the next auspicious opportunity to play again.”

 

“Does that show love for country or love for self? No amount of bleaching can remove the stain of abandonment. Also, a sick country like Nigeria, I insist, does not need fatigued, tired and old bones to heal it of all the daunting challenges, especially men who may very well require the use of “aboniki therapy” to massage their feet before they get up from bed. We need upwardly mobile and utility-driven leaders who will devote their energy and rare intellect to generate ideas to getting the job done at the nick of time.  Atiku is not in this age bracket. I would  rather support his son for president than opt for him.”

 

“I have repeatedly stated that any aspirant from the Northern part of the country would be running against the run of play. It is the turn of the South and no amount of deliberate chicanery, scheming, gerrymandering and subterfuge can deny us of that right. Those who are talking about demographic superiority of the North, should go and study the 2019 election results. All we need is voters turn-out and not this unscientific claim about demography.”

 

“Voters apathy has become an issue in our elections, which must be addressed urgently to expand the coast of legitimacy in OUR political contestS and outcomeS. Once the turn of the South is assured and guaranteed, all other equations would fall in place. With the level of polarisation across the country, with rising tensions and tempers, with agitations and protestations, there is the urgent need to balance the algorithms of power to create and sustain stability of the system. I will recommend for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees to help guide and guard the party on the right path. A new leadership must be birthed on the strong pillars of honesty, sincerity, transparency, equity, justice, fairness and true love for country and not through armtwisting strategies to railroad the process.”