2023 Election: Atiku woo Bayelsa delegates ahead of PDP primaries.

A frontline People’s Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant for the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, says his cardinal objective is to restructure the nation and address the lingering security, economic and educational challenges bedeviling the country.

 

Alhaji Abubakar, who is a former president stated this when his campaign team visited Governor Douye Diri in Government House Yenagoa, to woo delegates ahead of the PDP presidential primaries.

 

The Presidential hopeful, who said he was in the State to woo delegates, noted that wrestling power from the All Progressives Congress at the national level is anchored on the unity of the PDP.

 

According to the former President, the nation is going into another round of election which will determine the fate of the country and the Peoples Democratic Party, urged the party’s delegates to make a right choice.

 

While acknowledging that the country was in a cross path as a result of ineptitude of the APC, Alhaji Abubakar, advised Nigerians not to be in despair but keep fate with the PDP as the only lifeline to rescue the country. 

 

The erstwhile President, who lamented that the nation’s unity has been threatened and the country is bedeviled with unprecedented insecurity, worst economic and educational challenges, promised to change the narrative if given the mandate.

 

While stressing that the importance of restructuring cannot be over-emphasized as it would enable federating states to mange its affairs, Alhaji Abubakar, noted that his desire would be to see a lean federal system of government.

 

Alhaji Abubakar, said PDP cannot afford to be relegated to the background for another four years, and appealed to the party'sdelegates to close ranks with him and promised to give every part, section and religion a sense of belonging.

 

While boosting that during the reign of PDP, the nation was the largest in Africa in terms of economy, he however lamented that the APC could not consolidate the achievements of the PDP.

 

Earlier, Governor Douye Diri who said for equity, fairness and justice, the presidency should have been zoned to the Southern part of the country, however emphasized on the importance of the supremacy of the party.

 

His words; “I like to place on record that I am one of those very strong proponents of power rotation and zoning, and I still believe in it, and I believe that power should rotate to the southern part of this country, but however, our party has taken a decision, and there is nobody who is greater than the party. As a party member, I cannot stand above our party.”

 

“We are more interested in the unity of our party, and wrestling power from the failed Government of the APC, and to that extent, we must put our best foot forward as a party, and whoever that can lead us now to rescue Nigeria, we will all queue behind that person.”

 

The State chief executive, said the part will only align with any candidate that would share same ideology with the critical stakeholders of the nation on restructuring of the resources. 

 

“We will not listen to any aspirant who does not take into cognizance, the very fundamental issues of restructuring of this country. Issues of resource ownership, development and allocation, and that's why I always ask our people to talk about issues. Listening to you, you have given hope to the people of Bayelsa, the Ijaw ethnic nationality and the Niger Delta, and indeed hope to Nigeria, because the things that hold us together are issues that has to deal with justice and equity, because wherever there is no justice and equity, there will certainly be insecurity, conflicts and crisis, and that's what Nigeria is going through.