Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described the All Progressives Congress, APC-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has a failed government, incapable of paying salaries and pensions.
Atiku who stated this Monday in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital during the PDP Presidential rally enjoined the people to rally behind the PDP, adding that under his administration, jobs would be created to engage the creative potentials of youths across Nigeria.
He reiterated his commitment to the restructuring of the nation, saying a restructured Nigeria will empower the federating states in general and Kogi in particular to do more for their people.
“Don’t be deceived by the APC. You have seen them, voted for them but what have they done in the past four years? What have they done here in Kogi state? They can’t even pay salaries, they can’t pay pensions. Schools are not working. This is a failed government.
“The projects abandoned by this government, we will complete them for you. The unemployment rate which is very prevalent in Kogi state and in the whole country will be addressed. You know our number one programme in the next PDP administration is the creation of jobs.
“I want to commit to you that we will be creating as many jobs as possible to reduce the unemployment rate in our country. The inland port which this government has abandoned, we started them in PDP. When you vote in the PDP, we will come back and complete it for you.
“I have always advocated for the restructuring of this country. If there is one state that is going to be a beacon of progress and hope after restructuring, it is Kogi state because it has all it takes to be one of the most promising states in this country,” he said.
While admitting that mistakes were made in the past, Atiku said lessons imbibed from those missteps have placed him in a better situation to address the challenges facing the nation today.
“We have the opportunity to correct the mistakes we have made. We made the mistakes, I made the mistakes. Today, we have retraced our steps and we are determined to correct the mistakes,” he added, even as he called on the Nigerian Police to release the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye, who is currently a guest of the Police, following his arrest last week.
The PDP was accompanied to the rally by top party chieftains including Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Barrister Tanimu Turaki and former Kogi state governor, Captain Idris Wada (retd) amongst others.