Atiku visits Minna for consultations

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar yesterday visited Minna, Niger State in continuation of consultations with party members ahead of the forthcoming party primaries in October.

He told journalists “I am here to consult with party members on our forthcoming delegate elections”.

Speaking on the bond signed by all presidential aspirants not to defect, Atiku said “this issue came up last night when we had our first meeting with members of the national working committee of the party it was agreed that before the conduct of the primaries, there will be more meetings and in one of the meetings we will be required to sign an undertaking to support whoever may emerge as the candidate of the party.

“We were assured of credible primaries. These were some of the issues discussed last night.

“First and foremost I have participated in a number of primaries and I have committed myself to support whoever emerged and I don’t think it will be different this time around.

“The description of President Muhammad Buhari by the American President, Donald Trump, as far as I am concerned, I try to clear the achievements of APC in government and of PDP in government.

“First, the economy, if you look at our economic growth from 1999 up to 2015 when the PDP left power, the GDP has always been on consistent rise. The moment the APC government took over, we went into recession and since then we have not fully recovered.

“Now, in the three years of the APC we have recorded the lowest economic growth in the history of Nigeria since we returned to democracy.

“Clearly the APC government has failed as far as economic growth is concerned and that is why we have the highest number of joblessness, highest poverty rate, as you all know we have been described as the capital of the poverty in the whole world.

“That has led us to the greatest challenge of insecurity that we are faced in this country. Even during the Civil war, we did not experience this type.

“The government has remained consistently insensitive to our diversity and therefore, the patronage in the government is given to only one part of the country. As far as I am concerned the APC has failed and I don’t think there is need to give them a second chance.

“I have always been motivated by my service to Nigeria not by selfish interest. This country has been very good to me and I will continue to offer myself to the service of the country.

“Whether I will retire from politics if I don’t make it will depend on my ability as an individual. I never believed I will achieve what I have achieved so far. It’s my ability to give back to my country.”