Former Vice President of Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said that one major reason Nigerians should not give the All Progressives Congress government a second chance to govern Nigeria is because “they have ruined the country’s economy”.
Abubakar said this while briefing newsmen at the state secretariat of the party in Minna, Niger State on Thursday.
He said the APC-led government has remained consistently insensitive to Nigeria’s diversity and as such can’t better it.
Abubakar, who was in Niger State as part of consultations for the forthcoming delegate elections, said the level of insecurity experienced currently is more than the civil war the country had.
He said: “APC has failed Nigerians and I don’t think there is need to give them a second chance.
“It is very clear that as far as economic growth is concerned, the APC government has failed 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 poverty in the whole world, and 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 of challenge.
“Coupled with that, 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.”
The former Vice President while speaking on the bond signed by all presidential aspirants in PDP not to defect if they failed primaries, said: “This issue only came up last night (Wednesday) 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 also assured of a credible primaries.
“If I lose out in the primaries, I will throw my weight behind any candidate that emerges.
“First and foremost, I have participated in a number of primaries and have committed myself to support whoever emerges and I don’t think it will be different this time around.”
Abubakar, who compared the achievements of the APC in government and of the PDP, said: “Let us look at our economic growth.
“If you look at our economic growth from 1999 up to 2015 when the PDP left the power, the Gross Domestic Products has always consistently been on the 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 in government, we have recorded the lowest economic growth in the history of Nigeria since we returned to democracy.”
The former Vice President while disclosing that he only wants to give back to Nigeria what he had gained in life, said: “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 or not will depend on my ability as an individual.
“I never believe whether I will achieve what I have achieved so far.
“It’s my ability to give back to my country.”
Abubakar also went to visit former Military Head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, where he had a closed door meeting.
Those in his entourage included the Director General of his Campaign and former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
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