Fidelis David in Akure
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday stepped up their campaign bid in Ondo State with the promise to run a people-friendly government.
Atiku and Okowo made the promises while addressing thousands of PDP supporters at the South-west zonal launching of the 2023 Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Rally, held at the MKO Democracy Park in Akure, the state capital.
Also present at the rally were Governor Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom); Ademola Adekeke (Osun); the National Chairman of PDP, Iyiorcha Ayu; National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba; former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke; former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Deputy Governors of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi and Omolade Oluwateru; Senator Ayo Akinyelure among others
On his part, Atiku said Ondo was deliberately chosen as the first state to campaign in the SouthWest because it has the ability to deliver the highest vote in the region to PDP in the 2019 general election.
According to him, “We have started our campaign rally in Ondo State in the Southwest and it is deliberate because we want to show you that we appreciate what you did for us in the last election. You have given us the highest votes in the Southwest, and we will never forget you. That is why if you repeat the same thing again, we promise to deal with insecurity in the state and make sure that all the federal roads linking Ondo State are motorable.”
The former vice president also promised to set aside $10 billion to create employment and boost small and medium-scale enterprises to help employment drive for youths and women in the country.
He added: “We will also make sure that our young men and women are employed; we will set aside enough money to make sure that we empower you. That’s why in our policy documents, we said we will set aside $10billion to make sure that we provide small and medium enterprises for young men and women to empower them. It is our number one priority.
“We will also provide enough funds for education so that our universities shall continue to work perfectly, not the one we are witnessing today. APC doesn’t care for our education.”
Atiku also criticised the APC-led government over the state of insecurity and infrastructure decay in the country.
The standard bearer said: “You can compare what PDP did in 14 years to what APC has done in the last eight years, and do you want to vote for APC again?, We say No!”
The vice presidential candidate of the party and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, on his part, charged the electorate to embark on a door-to-door campaign in order to give the party a landslide victory in 2023.
Okowa promised that Atiku-led government would replicate his giant strides in the area of economic performance that will naturally boost security in the country.
Also, the National Chairman of the PDP, Ayu, boasted that the party is on its way to victory to rescue Nigeria and put it back on development track.
Earlier, the wife of the presidential candidate, Titi Atiku, a native of Ondo State, said her husband is indeed a Fulani man, but not a killer, promising that Atiku’s government will also provide scholarships to students and end insecurity in Nigeria.
She said: “My people I, your daughter, standing in your presence to tell you that my husband has done it before. The last election was won by my husband but we were robbed. My husband indeed is a Fulani but he is not a killer, and we have been together. I taught him our culture and tradition, and he is part of us. During President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government, it was Atiku that brought the likes of the current governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and others who did well for Nigeria. Atiku will defeat Boko Haram and provide you with scholarships.”
