A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has described the present federal government of President Muhamadu Buhari as the most corrupt since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999.
Mr Abubakar spoke in Abakaliki on Tuesday while addressing supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the state secretariat of the party. He was in Ebonyi to continue his campaign to emerge PDP presidential candidate in 2019.
He said the only achievement the All Progressive Congress (APC) -led government can boast of is fighting corruption; but argued that fighting corruption is not the only responsibility of government.
“What is happening today in our country is in contravention with all our provisions of our constitution. In our federation, we are supposed to have an inclusive government but you know that this federal government is not inclusive.
“You know that this federal government is not united, you know that this federal government is incompetent, you know that this federal government is more corrupt than any government we have come through since 1999.
“So, let nobody come and deceive you on corruption. They are more corrupt than any government that I know since 1999 and we shall be revealing their level of corruption. Fighting corruption alone is not the only responsibility of government.
“Our unemployment has accelerated high and there has never been a time we had more than 11million people, young people, young women thrown out of job. Today, we have more than 11 million unemployed people. Today, we have witnessed much insecurity in this country. Today, we are witnessing high inflation the APC government has brought to us in this country,” he said.
Mr Abubakar told the mammoth crowd that he was in the state to seek their support to defeat President Buhari in 2019.
He said the coalition formed by PDP and about 37 other parties was the first step in voting out the president in next year’s general election.
“Yesterday, 40 political parties came together to meet themselves to present one candidate for presidential election. The coalition is going to have one candidate for presidential election, one candidate for governor, one candidate for senator, one candidate for House of Reps, one candidate for House of Assembly, one candidate for party chairman.
“We need this alliance because what I have seen in the last three years is what I have not seen in the last 35 years in this country. Therefore, we are determined, we are united and we are ready to make sure that in the next election whether state or national or federal, we will kick out APC in every state in this country.
“We have never experienced the level of poverty we are facing today. They are selling crude oil around $70 dollars per barrel, when we came in 1999 it was around $10 per barrel.
“I want to assure you that your party is ready to take that power but we can only do so through your support and your unity of purpose. You are our bosses, if you tell us to go right we will go, if you tell us to go left we will go; but at the end of the day you must accept responsibility if you take us to the wrong direction,” the aspirant said.
While receiving him, Governor David Umahi said the South-east will negotiate the 2019 presidency and that the zone will vote for a presidential candidate who will develop the zone.
“The people of Ebonyi State, the people of South-east will sit down with anybody that is asking our votes to rule this country to negotiate. South east will not follow wrong path again. Anybody that wants the votes of South-east will sit on the table with the leaders of South-east, we shall agree, we shall write it, we shall sign it, we shall seal it.
“At a time I am the chairman of South-east governors’ forum, we shall come together and all the areas of marginalisation that we have been talking about, it is a time to discuss with our PVCs. The votes of the South-east will be decided by the leaders of South-east and any leader that is in agreement with our terms, we will follow the person,” he said.
Mr Umahi said Mr Abubakar has all it takes to be president of the country.
