The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of instigating violence by making comments that are capable of causing bloodletting. Atiku, who spoke yesterday at a PDP rally held at the Adokiye Amasiemeka Stadium in Port Harcourt, also declared that Nigerians were no longer willing to fight each other, but are desirous of jobs and development.
The former vice president also promised to uphold rule of law, just as he re-echoed his readiness to restructure the country so that the component states will develop at their own pace.
Atiku said: “I will uphold the rule of law. I will not allow the rule of law to be crumbled by anybody. Do you know what the President said yesterday in Zamfara? “The president said that Zamfara people should pray for rainfall. He said let’s pray that we eat ‘bellefull’. And then we can make trouble. Is that what a president should say? “This is a president that is preaching violence.
“And it’s not the first time he is saying that. We want peace; we want development; we want jobs. We are not going to allow anybody to knock our heads together. We are going to use our ballot paper to vote him out.” Atiku also said that the country under Buhari’s watch has not made any progress; promising to protect the constitution, protect the principle of the rule of law and the sanctity of the judiciary”.
He added: “I will not interfere with the affairs of the National Assembly. We will not interfere with the affairs of the judiciary. That is our checks and balances. “We must restructure Nigeria so that states like Rivers and the Niger Delta can develop. When we were in office (Obasanjo/Atiku), we started work on the East/West road. That road has been abandoned because PDP was not allowed to continue in office. “APC government has not done anything for the people of Rivers State or the Niger Delta. When I become President, I will complete the East/ West highway.
Also speaking, the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, urged Nigerians to vote for all the candidates of the PDP in the coming elections, noting that he predicted the present hardship in 2015 but nobody took him serious. “I asked Nigerians in 2015 to choose between going forward and going backward. All the indices of development are not in existent in this government. We are not making any progress as a country under this government. That is why Nigerians must come out on Saturday and vote Atiku Abubakar as President and all the PDP candidates.
“Atiku Abubakar will not discriminate against any section of Nigeria. He will not discriminate between a region that voted him on the ratio of 75% and that which gave him 5%.” National chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, urged the international community to beam their searchlight on Kaduna State governor, Nasiru el-Rufai over his “body bag” comment.
