Speaking while addressing supporters of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) at the Ebonyi state secretariat of the party in Abakaliki on
Tuesday, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, described the present
federal government of President Muhamadu Buhari as the most corrupt
since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999.
Atiku who was in Ebonyi to continue his campaign to emerge PDP
presidential candidate in 2019, said the only achievement the All
Progressive Congress (APC) -led government can boast of is fighting
corruption; but argued that fighting corruption is not the only
responsibility of government.
“What is happening today in our country is in contravention
with all our provisions of our constitution. In our federation, we are
supposed to have an inclusive government but you know that this federal
government is not inclusive.
“You know that this federal government is not united, you know
that this federal government is incompetent, you know that this federal
government is more corrupt than any government we have come through
since 1999.
“So, let nobody come and deceive you on corruption. They are
more corrupt than any government that I know since 1999 and we shall be
revealing their level of corruption. Fighting corruption alone is not
the only responsibility of government.
“Our unemployment has accelerated high and there has never been
a time we had more than 11million people, young people, young women
thrown out of job. Today, we have more than 11 million unemployed
people. Today, we have witnessed much insecurity in this country. Today,
we are witnessing high inflation the APC government has brought to us
in this country,” he said.
Atiku told the mammoth crowd that he was in the state to seek their
support to defeat President Buhari in 2019, adding that the coalition
formed by PDP and about 37 other parties was the first step in voting
out the president in next year’s general election.
“Yesterday, 40 political parties came together to meet
themselves to present one candidate for presidential election. The
coalition is going to have one candidate for presidential election, one
candidate for governor, one candidate for senator, one candidate for
House of Reps, one candidate for House of Assembly, one candidate for
party chairman.
“We need this alliance because what I have seen in the last
three years is what I have not seen in the last 35 years in this
country. Therefore, we are determined, we are united and we are ready to
make sure that in the next election whether state or national or
federal, we will kick out APC in every state in this country.
“We have never experienced the level of poverty we are facing
today. They are selling crude oil around $70 dollars per barrel, when we
came in 1999 it was around $10 per barrel.
“I want to assure you that your party is ready to take that
power but we can only do so through your support and your unity of
purpose. You are our bosses, if you tell us to go right we will go, if
you tell us to go left we will go; but at the end of the day you must
accept responsibility if you take us to the wrong direction,” the presidential aspirant said.