Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential aspirant Alhaji Abubakar Atiku on Thursday disclosed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not deserve a second chance to govern Nigeria saying, “they have ruined our economy”.
Atiku while briefing Journalists before meeting with the Niger state PDP members at the state secretariat in Minna as part of consultations for the forthcoming delegate elections, said that the level of insecurity experienced currently is more than the civil war.
According to Atiku “APC has failed Nigerians, and I don’t think there is need to give them a second chance.
“It is very clear that as far as economic growth is concerned the APC government has failed; and that is why we have the highest number of joblessness, highest poverty rate.
“As you all know, we have been described as the capital of poverty in the whole world, and that has led us to the greatest challenge of insecurity that we are faced in this country.
“Even during the Civil war, we did not experience this type of challenge. Coupled with that, the government has remained consistently insensitive to our diversity and therefore, the patronage in the government is given to only one part of the country.
“As far as I am concerned the APC has failed and I don’t think there is need to give them a second chance”.
While speaking on the bond signed by all presidential aspirants not to defect if they failed primaries, Atiku said “this issue only came up last night (Wednesday) when we had our first meeting with members of the national working committee of the party.
“It was agreed that, before the conduct of the primaries, there will be more meetings and in one of the meetings we will be required to sign an undertaking to support whoever may emerge as the candidate of the party. We were also assured of a credible primaries”.
Atiku also disclosed that, if he lost out in the primaries, he would throw his weight behind any candidate thta emerges, saying “first and foremost I have participated in a number of primaries and I have committed myself to support whoever emerges and I don’t think it will be different this time around.”
Atiku who compare the achievements of the APC in government and of PDP in government, said “let us look at our economic growth, If you look at at our economic growth from 1999 up to 2015 when the PDP left the power, the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) has always consistently been on the rise.
“The moment the APC government took over, we went into recession and since then we have not fully recovered.
“Now, in the three years of the APC in government, we have recorded the lowest economic growth in the history of Nigeria since we returned to democracy.
The former Vice President while disclosing that he only wants to give back to Nigeria what he had gained in life, said “I have always been motivated by my service to Nigeria not by selfish interest. This country has been very good to me and I will continue to offer myself to the service of the country.
“Whether I will retire from politics if I don’t make it or not will depend on my ability as an individual. I never believe whether I will achieve what I have achieved so far. It’s my ability to give back to my country.”
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