THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, told the people of Katsina state on Thursday that without their late son, Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, he would not have become the politician he is today.
Addressing a huge crowd of supporters at the Katsina stadium, he recalled how the former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, tutored him in politics which led to contest the presidential election in 1993.
He said he did not get the office then because everything has its own time.
The former Vice President was confident that now is the time Yar’Adua had prepared him for and therefore urged Katsina people to help their late son to realise the dream by voting for PDP.
Speaking in Hausa, he said: “For those that are not aware, may Allah forgive late Shehu Musa Yar’adua. I learnt politics from Katsina, I learnt to be a politician from Katsina. After that, Shahu Yar’adua took me on a journey for the Nigeria Presidency since 1993.
“But everything has its own time. The time Shehu Yar’Adua was talking about is now.
“If that is the case, people of Katsina will you do the will of Shehu Yar’Adua since 1993.
“Let me remind you all, be careful with APC. Since about three and half years they came to lie to you all, they said they will create wealth and improve the economy, have they created wealth? Is the economy better now? They said the will solve the security challenges, have solved the insecurity?
“Now let me promise you all, everyone knows any promise I make, I fulfil them. My first promise is that I will return peace to Katsina by Gods grace. Secondly, our youths that are jobless by God’s grace, they will get jobs. Once we create a job, is that not the end of hunger?
“Me and Yakubu Lado (Katsina PDP gubernatorial candidate) will ensure that peace returns to Katsina. Will you all vote for Lado? If yes raise your hands.
“You all know the election is 16th of this month. What I want to tell you all is that, this election is for the youths. As for us, we will only show you the way, we are done with ours. This election is for you the youths. Once you vote, be patient if they count and announce the result. Don’t let them cheat you, the vote is yours not for anyone else.
“I also want to warn the security agencies, the police and the military, your job is to ensure there is peace. Don’t allow yourselves to be used to manipulate this election, it is not your job. This is a warning to you all. Let us vote PDP from bottom to top and top to bottom.”
Citing various opinion polls, in his remark at the rally, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, assured the people that Atiku will emerge the next president.
He said: “Now, you know what is going on in this country today, there is hunger, there is unemployment and there is insecurity, no be so!!!. The only party and the only candidate, the only competent candidate that has energy, the candidate that has the capacity, the only one to resolve all these issues, that candidate is Dr Abubakar Atiku.
“You know the APC government, they are confused, they are worried and they are adopting all sorts of measures to make sure that they rig this election but you know APC, their plan is to destabilise this nation. APC, their plan is to kill, is to harm.
“This was the statement that came out from Governor Nasir el-Rufai (of Kaduna state) that there will be body bags. But let me remind him and other leaders of APC that in 2015, the same el-Rufai and other leaders of APC travelled several times to the United States, to the United Kingdom and brought in consultants and international observers that came and witnessed that election.
“This time around, because they want to rig, they don’t want the international observers to come. He said that if they come, they will kill them, they are not only planning to kill them, they are also planning to kill us. They want to kill every leader in PDP. Can they kill all of us? Nooo!!! The will of the people will prevail, no be so!!
“Because of the confusion in APC, they have lost all the polls, from international polls, from national polls, local polls have given victory to Dr. Abubakar Atiku. Atiku is winning no be so!!!
“That’s why APC is confused, they have nothing to do, they have resorted to killings, they have resorted to posting commissioners of police to go and rig for them. They have also resolved that they want to destroy institutions, like the Nigerian Police Force, like the Military, they want to compromise them and they want to destroy them.
“I believed that those who are working in the hierarchy of the security agencies, they must resist the plane of the leadership of APC to destroy institutions by posting their cronies to go and help them to rig. You cannot destroy the will of the people, you cannot destroy Nigeria.”
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