By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has said this is the time to rescue Nigeria from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party has failed to fulfil all its electoral promises to Nigerians.
Saraki, a fomer governor of Kwara state however said the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) was more determined and set to take over the leadership of the country come 2023 so as to set the country on the right direction.
Saraki spoke with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara state capital shortly after he addressed hundreds of youths of PDP that embarked on rally to express their displeasure against failed promises by the ruling APC both at the state and national levels.
As early as 7.a.m yesterday, PDP youths matched through major streets of Ilorin to express their discontentment over the raging poverty among the people of the state and nation in general occasioned by failed electoral promises of the APC.
The rally however took them to some areas like Taiwo, Ipata, Maraba, Fate and ended at the Ilorin GRA home of the former Senate President, Dr. Saraki where he addressed the teeming youths.
Saraki, however described the event as a spontaneous reaction to what the youths had been passing through in the hands of the ruling party at the state and national levels.
He said the ruling APC had impoverished the people of the country since the party took over the mantle of leadership.
He added, “A lot of them were given the wrong impression and unkept promises and they have seen that it’s time to go to a government that will support and care for them.
“We have said the APC has nothing to offer the youths and Nigerians and that is what is being reiterated here today”, he said.
Saraki also said that this was the time to rescue Nigeria and set it in the right direction, adding that the PDP has demonstrated the energy and enthusiasm to take over governance in the state and Nigeria.
“These are ordinary people on the street saying “O su wa” (we are tied). And why would they not be when you look at the cost of a bag of rice and garri, the issue of insecurity and all other negative indices plaguing the country? The story is the same.
“But the people want a greener pasture and different direction in this country which only the PDP can offer”, he said.
Also speaking, one of the youth leaders, Mr. Otukoko Olayinka, said that advocates of the O to ge struggles had not lived up to expectations as against their promises in 2019.
“The then advocates of O to ge struggle promised people of Kwara a lot in 2019. They’ve not lived up to one quarter of it.
“So, the Kwara youth from PDP came together with the slogan, ‘O su wa’ (we are tired). What this means in essence is that prices of food items and fuel have gone unbearably too high since the emergence of the APC government.
“Insecurity is the order of the day. People are groaning. Kwarans have not enjoyed dividends of democracy as promised by crusaders of O to ge in 2019.
“We are saying we cannot continue this way. The past PDP government in power had showed conpetence and good governance.
“We have seen that the APC has not been able to give what they promised the people in the state. Kwara people, Represented by the youth constituency, is saying enough is enough for the APC government.
“Come 2023, we want to bid the present government bye and usher in competent, capable leaders in those that have done it in the past and that can still do it again”.
