Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, during the presentation of books about him in Abuja…on Wednesday. Photo: Olukayode Jaiyeola
29th September 2022
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, inaugurated the party ‘s Presidential Campaign Council in line with the 2023 elections timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
This is as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and the Labour Party presidential standard bearer, Peter Obi, had postponed the inauguration of their campaign councils, citing various reasons.
However, the PDP’s PCC inauguration which was held at the International Conference Centre, was marked with the launch of three books written in honour of the presidential candidate, Atiku.
The event was attended by PDP governors, ex-governors and top chieftains of the party, among others.
Speaking at the unveiling of three books in honour of Atiku, former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, described the former Customs boss as a man who knew the pathway to rescue Nigeria
“You can’t read this book (Atiku: The Story of Atiku Abubakar) without appreciating him as a political driver, who not only has the experience to drive on the political road but also knows the rule on how to rescue Nigeria.
“It is very important that from today, as the campaign commences, all hands are on deck so that we can work together to get the victory at the end of the day,” he admonished.
Atiku berates FG
Delivering his speech shortly after the inauguration of the campaign council, Atiku lamented that the Nigerian federation is not working, citing the myriad of challenges bedeviling the nation since the PDP handed over power to the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2015.
Alleging that the PDP was cheated out of its electoral victory in 2019, Atiku said the nation had since descended into anarchy since the APC took over power.
He stated, “Since the loss at the polls of 2019 till now, and under the watch of the current APC government, our dear country has witnessed a frightening descent into anarchy.
“Our nation is currently in the throes of a multidimensional crisis encompassing insecurity, economic meltdown, disunity and mutual mistrust, to mention a few.
“To start with, the current government has failed at the very essence of what makes a government: the security of lives and property of its citizens. Our security challenges are legion, and I do not need to bore you by rehashing them here.
“Our economy is in shambles, growth has stagnated, and our people are facing massive existential challenges daily. Hunger is the norm today in our country.
“Our nation is in disarray. The fabric of unity that binds our country is, today, being torn apart by mutual distrust, ethnic and sectarian strife and we are now more disunited than we have ever been in our history, including even when we fought a civil war.’’
The candidate further cited the crisis in the education sector, high number of out-of-school children and the bad economy as the height of the failings of the Major general Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) regime.
