On Tuesday, the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stated that he and his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, were not running for office in a last-ditch effort to win power; rather, their goals were to unify the nation, address insecurity, and rescue the economy from total collapse.
During his endorsement by the Council of National Students Presidents of Nigeria, Atiku, who was accompanied by Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, made this statement.
The National Association of University Students, the Postgraduate Students Association of Nigeria, the National Association of Polytechnic Students, and the National Association of Colleges of Agriculture Students are all members of the CNSPN.
“They (Atiku/Okowa) asked me to come and appreciate your faith in them and to remind you that they are not running because they are hungry for political offices,” Dogara stated.
“They are running because they believe they have been tried and tested, and it has been demonstrated that what they hold in their hands will not move, and the country’s destiny will become stable and steady.”
“Seeing that Nigeria has been left behind on the starting blocks of the race, they are more determined, and they will ensure that they deliver the promise of this great country,” the statement reads.
Dogara praised the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, for his naira redesign policy in his own name.
He said that the redesign of the naira would stop vote buying and make elections more credible, and he asked Nigerians to bear the temporary pains because the benefits would be great.
He stated, “I urge you to consider this pain as part of the sacrifice that will give us a transparent election in which we will elect a leader that we deserve.” He added, “Whatever pains we are passing through in relation to the Naira redesign policy, some of us may not have the cash.
“Our incoming President Atiku is an educationist, somebody who has a university, his university has never been on strike, he is somebody who is tested and trusted,” said Philip Aduda, a senator representing the Federal Capital Territory.
Prior to their examination, Obaji Uchenna Marshal, chairman of the CNSPN, stated that the PDP’s working document is the only document that provides a blueprint for actually achieving political promises.
“It is pertinent to note that, more than ever before, students are paying genuine attention to the processes of electing leaders that will see over the affairs of governance of this country for the next four years, hence our unwavering commitment to be part of the process by exercising our constitutional franchise,” he stated.
“The CNSPN has taken her time to closely follow all of the front-line candidates, going through their policy working documents (manifestos), and after careful scrutiny, the CNSPN have come to the conclusion that the People’s Democratic Party manifesto, which carries the Atiku/Okowa tickets, is the most reliable, realizable. This is in light of the foregoing and the sequel to the foregoing.
“They are the only ones who provide answers to Nigeria’s questions and, most importantly, the most educationally friendly,” the statement reads.
