President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that his government can proudly say that his three points campaign agenda which were, Security, improvement of Economy and fighting of Corruption have been satisfactorily addressed.
The President who said this on Friday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, while delivering his official flag off remarks at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium challenged anybody who doubts his administration’s contributions in the three fundamental issues promised by his government in 2015 to come out with verifiable facts.
Buhari noted that the war against insurgency in the North-East was being won adding that when his government came in, in 2015,over 17 local governments in the Borno and Yobe states, were under the control of insurgents.
He further noted that the economy was in a terrible state noting that 60percent of the youths were unemployed while food security was being threatened in the country but his government has been able to address them.
His words, “I am standing here to express my gratitude and appreciation to you for organizing this get-together for the campaign against next year. If you could recall in 2015 when we based our campaign fundamentally on three points of security, fight against corruption and building the economy and I want those who want to challenge us at any level to doubt our contributions towards our undertakings.
“Firstly, insecurity in the North East has almost been won in the sense that when we came we met Boko Haram in about 17 local governments in Borno and Yobe states, now they are not physically holding any local government now, but they resorted in Indoctrinating our young ones especially girls they braced them up in explosives and instruct them to expose themselves in churches, in Mosques, market places and motor parks, but I assure you that we are going to clear them off in our county.
”I also assure you that we are going to manage the country well, we will continue to fight corruption and make Nigeria a better country.”
Also speaking, the National leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said that Nigerians in 2015 were yearning for change from ineptitude, from corruption and laziness with great desire to diversification and development of the economy.
He added that APC led Federal government has to a large extent addressed the yearnings of the people.
Tinubu who said APC is building a new foundation for the future of all urged Nigerians to reelect President Buhari who according to him, ‘would give hope and diversify the economy.’
On his part, DG Buhari Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Ameachi said, ” I am sure that Nigerians have not heard me for a very long time and the reason why you have not heard me is that you don’t talk when you are busy. We have been relatively busy in the past four years.
“About this time four years ago we were running round the country begging Nigerians to change the leadership of the country. We promised just three things. We promised to improve the economy, to enhance security, and we promised to fight corruption. Anybody who said we promised that one dollar will be equal to one Naira, that fuel prize will fall to N5 must be a magician. We are not voodoo economists. it was very clear what was wrong. We got in and saw the challenges, we never knew that they had stolen all the money.
“So when we got in we were mindful of the promises that we made. We commenced that activity believing that Nigerians will know that change does not come easily. Nigerians know that before we came to power as governor of Rivers state I could not sleep in Kano, because Kano , Abuja were attacked. Since we have been in government till now any attack had been in Borno not outside Borno. So have we made any improvement in security , the answer is yes.
“When we came things were extremely bad. The factors that we met in terms of economy led to economic recession. We didn’t have a choice but to fight that economic recession. World Bank said that we will not come out of the recession till after three years, we came out of recession after ten months. We promised to fight corruption, are we fighting corruption, the answer is yes.
”You know the difference between we and the other party is that the other party are not saying they are not corrupt. They are saying they are corrupt but the APC is also corrupt. They agree that the president is not corrupt, what they are saying is that those around the president are corrupt. But we are saying as APC we are not corrupt. We are fighting corruption.”
Also Ntufam Hilliard Etta , APC Chairman South South prayed that Buhari should defeat Atiku of the PDP in 2019.
Etta who described President Buhari as a lion reeled out his achievements so far said, has caused a revolution in Agriculture, feeding our children in schools, building the second Niger bridge, building roads such as Calabar-Itu road, Increased the salary of our policemen.
According to him, ”He is doing so much more with so much less. First they wanted our lion dead , he did not die , he became stronger. Then they coined a story that our lion is a Jubril from Sudan ,but their enterprise failed.”
On his part, the former Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Akpabio, expressed appreciation to the president for the choice of Akwa Ibom state for the flag-off of the Presidential campaign.
Akpabio said the 2019 election would be about integrity versus others adding that Mr President has integrity to have completed all the projects he met on ground and also to have started new ones assuring that the APC will have a landslide victory in the 2019 general elections.
Speaking earlier in his welcome speech, the Akwa Ibom state Chairman of APC Ini Okopido noted that the use of Akwa Ibom state as a symbolic take off point for the presidential campaign was a significant sign that the state is placed in the national conscientiousness of the party.
‘His Excellency, we confidently assure you and the national leadership of our great party, that the 2019 general election in Akwa Ibom state will lead other south south states not only to overwhelmingly return you to office but also to deliver all the candidates of the party in the election. Kindly permit me to inform you that we are pleased with your visionary leadership and focused leadership to develop our country.’ He said.
The rally featured the presentation of the party flag by the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole to the President and to the four governorship candidates of the South South which were Obong Nsima Ekere of Akwa Ibom state, Senator John Owan Enoh of Cross River state, Magnus Abe of Rivers and Great Ogboro of Delta state.
