The Rivers State chapter of Atiku Youth Alliance is campaigning for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The Rivers State Director of Media of the group, Mr. Lawson Kelvin Tubonimi, speaks with SAM NWAOKO on issues around its work, Rivers State PDP and sundry issues. Excerpts:
What stands Atiku Youth Alliance out from the several other groups campaigning for the election of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar? What is the difference in its approach and outlook?
Atiku Youth Alliance is one of the oldest and largest youth-led, partisan political organisation in Nigeria which was formed as far back as 2017, and we have been mobilising young people all over the country to participate in the electoral process to elect Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the forthcoming presidential election. We in the Rivers State chapter are at the forefront in actualising this vision by organising rallies and door to door campaigns. We also have a call centre where we call thousands of Nigerians, telling them the need to vote for all PDP candidates in the forthcoming elections.
Why exactly are you sticking your neck out for Atiku Abubakar? Why not a continuation of President Muhammadu Buhari?
The APC government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has displayed crass incompetence since taking office in 2015. Since they came into office three years ago, 20 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. Nigeria’s manufacturing production has fallen from 7.5 per cent to 3 per cent. Inflation rate from 8 per cent to 16 per cent average. The Nigerian Stock Exchange growth reduced to 1 per cent from 29.7 per cent. 2 million Nigerian lives have been destroyed by terrorists. 13.5 million children are out of school. $2bn lost to fleeing foreign investors. External debt grew by $11.47billion over the last three years. Nigeria is now the poverty capital of the world. Food inflation has risen 10 per cent to 21 per cent. NNPC subsidy payments rose by 386 per cent in one month in 2018. I could go on and on. Tell me which considerate, humane person would want to vote for such a party again. To continue another four years of hunger, nepotism and insecurity? No way! Atiku is the only man who can take us out of the mess President Buhari and his APC have put us in.
You said you have been mobilising young people all over the country to participate in the electoral process… How would you rate your success so far?
We have over 5 million members nationwide. And when I say members, I mean young people who are very committed to our course; 5 million eligible voters with permanent voter cards. And each of these 5 million people have been mandated to get at least four people to vote for Atiku Abubakar and all PDP candidates. So in total, Atiku Youth Alliance will deliver 20 million votes to the PDP. See, we are not one of those groups who make promises they do not intend to keep. When we say we will deliver, we will.
In your quest to hold your candidate aloft, what have been your major challenge, especially when the fact that a former governor of Rivers State is staunchly rooting for President Buhari. What have been your major challenges… How much opposition or cooperation have you received?
There is really no opposition in Rivers State, Rivers State is 100 per cent PDP. Whether or not a former governor of Rivers State is staunchly rooting for President Buhari is of no consequence.
What does this portend for your desires in the coming elections?
Buhari and his APC will witness the most humiliating defeat in recorded history, especially in Rivers State. We are aware that they want to rig the elections and cause violence, but we will resist every attempt to rig.
From the outside, the PDP in Rivers State is believed to have been ravaged by crisis. Among the contentions is that the party has lost weight since the departure of some of its bigwigs, led by former Governor Rotimi Amaechi. What can you say about this and what do you think the people should know and believe?
Rivers PDP is not ravaged by any crisis whatsoever; PDP Rivers State is one big indivisible family. Rotimi Amaechi led bigwigs out of PDP yet we beat him and his so-called bigwigs black and blue in the 2015 election even as a seating governor? Let us be honest with ourselves, there is nobody in APC in Rivers State. Anyone who tells you otherwise has lost touch with reality.
What’s the place of Governor Wike’s personality as the elections approach, and what impact do you think his overall performance would have in the electorate?
As far as Rivers people are concerned, His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is the only gubernatorial candidate as PDP is the only party in Rivers State. If I begin to list the projects Governor Wike’s administration has completed I believe we will spend the whole day here. Despite the economic downturn which severely affected resources accruable to the State, it has been projects, projects and more projects. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was astonished by the projects, which made him call Governor Wike, “Mr. Projects”. There are projects scattered in every local government of the State, and a second term for Wike means more projects.
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