Feb 16 poll: I will restructure Nigeria if elected, says Atiku

…Pledges to complete Second Niger Bridge

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 16 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has reiterated his commitment to restructure Nigeria if elected next president. He stated this in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra State, on Thursday, during a campaign rally. Apparently responding to the yearnings of people of the South East for a true restructuring of the country, Atiku, who is a former vice president of Nigeria, told the people to believe him because he is ‘Mr. Restructuring’. He promised full compensation for neglected infrastructure development due to the Igbos of the South East. The PDP Presidential candidate said his commitment to the South East is unflinching because of his affinity to the region by marriage, having married Jennifer Atiku, a native of Anambra State and political association, having Peter Obi, also from Anambra State as his running mate. He told the teeming crowd that he did not come to campaign but to a home coming. He said: “The people of Anambra State, we have not come to campaign. You have two people on this ticket, Peter Obi is on this ticket, Jennifer Abubakar is in this ticket, I am minority. We apologise for coming late. In any case, this is our home”. He appealed to the party’s loyalists to return all PDP candidates, saying “return your Senators, your members House of Representatives, the State Assembly members, everybody must be PDP. “You know what, at the Palace of the Obi, they said I have to complete the Second Niger Bridge. If not for anything, I have to complete it for my wife. The Obi said we must construct all the federal roads in the South East, we will do it. Peter Obi will do it. He said we must restructure Nigeria, this is why I am Mr. Restructuring, I will do it. Don’t allow anybody to come and deceive you, I know you people are courageous”. At a rally earlier in Asaba, the Delta State capital, on Thursday, the PDP Presidential candidate assured the people of Delta and Anambra states and the entire South East by extension, about a speedy completion of the much touted Second Niger Bridge. Considering the importance of the bridge to socio-economic development of the South East region, he promised that his government will take over the project much talked about by the APC government, complete and commission it for the use of the good people of the South East and South South. The former vice president at the PDP Presidential campaign rally said the Second Niger Bridge and other projects abandoned by the APC administration will be given accelerated attention immediately the PDP take over governance in May 2019. He also promised the development of the port in Warri to international standard for economic development of the country and Delta State. “Now let me tell you my commitment to Delta State if you elect me as your President. You see your port that have been abandoned, I will reactivate it in Delta. I will make sure that they are working and create jobs for Deltans. I promise you this. “Secondly, all the infrastructural facilities that have been abandoned by the Federal Government because you are PDP, I will complete them. You have been loyal to PDP and we will pay loyalty”. Atiku appreciated Deltans for been loyal to PDP since the return of democracy in 1999. “The schools that you have is PDP, the hospital is PDP, the road that you have is PDP. The airport is PDP, every development that you have in Delta State is PDP. So why would you vote APC? “These people they call APC just come to deceive us. Everything they promised they failed to deliver. They failed to deliver on economy, they failed to deliver on security, and they failed to deliver on jobs, why would you vote for them for God’s sake? I appeal to you to continue to vote PDP. We are all PDP family, there is no space for APC in this state never”, he added. The PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, at the rally, reiterated the party’s call on INEC to uphold constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair, credible and acceptable elections. “Today by your mandate, we warn INEC and we believe that there are good people in INEC. We know that government is pressurising INEC to rig this election but if they rig this election, it is war they are looking for. So if they want peace, they should not rig the election because everybody is ready for this election”, said Secondus. The chairman also advised the security agencies to keep to their primary role of protecting lives and properties. He said: “We believe that they will obey our constitution and not break it like Mr. President that is breaking our constitution. They will obey the constitution and be neutral but if they don’t, if they join hands with INEC to rig this election, what are they looking look for?” Director General of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Senator Bukola Saraki, said it remains 15 days for Nigerians to come out and vote for PDP and Atiku, “because it is time for us to change the direction of this country”. Saraki said: “This government has failed, is time for us to vote them out and bring in the man that knows the job. Our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is a man that can perform. “My people of Delta, this is not personal, it is about someone who can give you job. Let me tell you one secret, all our youth that are looking for job, government alone cannot give you job. You get job when the private sector are booming. The only person that can do this, is the candidate we bring here today. He has businesses, he understand the language, if you don’t understand the language you can’t do it”. “Let me tell you something about business people, business people don’t do business in country where there is no rule of law. And you know these people don’t understand rule of law, but Atiku understand rule of law. “The only way to get Atiku inside is for you all to come out and vote, vote for PDP. Any vote for the other party is a waste. If you come out and vote nobody will rig us. There is only one man that can provide jobs, unite the country, improve our economy and that man is Atiku Abubakar”.