Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said he will ensure that nobody steals public money if elected president in 2023.
He also promised to give proper attention to the educational sector and prevent incessant strikes by university lecturers.
Atiku expressed sadness that thousands of young people were currently at home because the All Progressives Congress had looted funds that would have been used to do what was needed to stabilize the sector.
Atiku said this while addressing PDP delegates in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as part of his consultative meeting with stakeholders ahead of the party’s convention.
“I will make sure that our educational system is very well looked after. Today we have all our public universities closed down for several months. Our children have been out of school. Not because we have not instituted institutions during PDP to make sure there is enough funding for these institutions.
“But because they are stealing the money. I will make sure nobody steals public money, I swear,” he stated.
The PDP presidential described the APC administration as a one-sided government that has caused so much division and the resultant insecurity in the country.
He said, “Can you govern without uniting people and bringing peace? It is very important. The APC government has been a one-sided government and therefore, there is disunity, because of disunity now we are facing insecurity all over the country.”
He reiterated that restructuring of the country would be looked into after uniting the country, which according to him would be his number one assignment to give every section of the country a sense of belonging and tackle insecurity frontally.
“I will give a sense of belonging to every ethnic group. I give a sense of belonging to every religious group. After unifying the country, then we tackle the insecurity.
“Unless we restore law and order and peace, we cannot do anything. After restoring security generally, we will now go to the economy. We have the experience. We took Nigeria from the bottom to the highest economy in Africa.
“Now APC has taken us down to the bottom, top to bottom. That is why I just can’t understand why somebody can vote for APC in this country because we have suffered and we are suffering,” Atiku noted.
He expressed optimism that the PDP national convention would be rancor free and eventually have a united house to ensure that the party wins 2023 elections.
“PDP must win this time. Please, I beg of you. Whatever will be the outcome of the convention, PDP must win at this time. We have been in opposition for eight years, we cannot afford to be in opposition for another eight more years. We will die at a party. God forbid
Atiku who was accompanied by former Senator from Kogi State, Dino Melaye, PDP chieftain, Raymond Dokpesi, among others commended Governor Nyesom Wike for the infrastructural development in Rivers State, describing him as the best in that area as well as human development.
“Honestly in terms of infrastructural development, other aspects of human development, let me concede, Governor Wike is the best.
“I also want to commend all the PDP supporters in this state for having remained a consistent PDP state both in and out of governance. What I mean, whether we control the federal government or not, Rivers has continued to be a consistent PDP state. I want to commend your loyalty to this state.”
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