All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday warned that Nigerians would not recognise themselves
in four years time if they allowed the degenerations under the present
administration to continue for another four years.
The city of Osogbo, capital of Osun State also yesterday stood
still as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo joined thousands of residents in a Walk for Change
procession. Continue..
The rally tagged “Nigerians walk for change (Buhari/Osinbajo),”
drew people from all the adjourning towns and villages who trooped to the
streets to join the team on a physical exercise by walking through the major streets.
The team and crowd snaked through streets of Oke-fia, Alekuwodo,
Olaiya, Oluode market and ended at the Osogbo township stadium.
Buhari spoke at a campaign stop in Calabar just as Governor
Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State flayed President Goodluck Jonathan for failing
the test of brotherhood in his alleged failures to address the issues of
underdevelopment of the South-South people.
Also receiving Buhari during another campaign stop in Owerri,
Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha flayed people of the South East in the frontline of the Jonathan
campaign, saying that their support was without recourse to the marginalisation
of the region by the administration.
Buhari on his part accused the Jonathan administration of
lacking in any plans to fight corruption.
Buhari also made a late evening campaign stop in Warri, Delta
State ,where anxious party supporters defied the delay to receive the
presidential candidate of the opposition party.
Buhari’s first campaign stop was in Owerri where he was received
by Governor Okorocha who lashed at the PDP for largely marginalizing Ndigbo in
all spheres of the polity.
“Let me use this opportunity to point out that all the
communities in the South East need serious attention. There is the need for the
creation of more states in the
South East”, Okorocha said.
Continuing, the Governor called for the construction of the
second Niger bridge, upgrading of the Sam Mbakwe Airport to an international
status, recognition of the Igbos in political positions in the country, among
others.
“It is an undeniable fact that under the PDP, there was no Igbo
man occupying top political positions. General Buhari should please remember
Ndigbo when you assume office as the president of Nigeria”, Okorocha pleaded.
In his response, Gen. Buhari condemned what he described as the
“vicious circle of corruption under President Jonathan, adding that “the
Goodluck administration does not have any plan to spiritedly fight corruption
and maintain security in the country”.
He assured Okorocha that the needs of the Igbos have been
prioritized in his manifesto and that the people of the South East would
benefit more in his regime.
The APC presidential flag bearer who described Igbos as
“successful industrialists”, also promised to improve electricity supply in the country to boost economic
activities in the area.
On the nation’s economy, Gen. Buhari decried the alarming rate of inflation in the country and wondered how local businesses could survive considering the rate of
exchange of the Naira to the Dollar.
“In 1984, as the military head of State, I refused to devalue
the Naira, refused to remove subsidy on petroleum products and flour. We
equally made an undertaking to meet our obligation on foreign debt, medium and long term. All these we did
within the period we were in power”, Buhari recalled.
Among Gen. Buhari’s entourage were, the APC Chairman, Chief John
Oyegun, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Chris Ngige and other national leaders
of the party.
Following the stop in Owerri, the campaign train moved to
Calabar where before introducing Buhari, Governor Amaechi, the chairman of the
Buhari Campaign Organisation flayed President Jonathan for not empathizing with
the feelings of the people of the region.
Lampooning the president for failing to develop the South-South
region where he comes from, Amaechi said the failures of the federal
administration could not be said to be limited to Rivers State essentially
because of the issues between him and the president.
Noting the bad roads connecting Cross River State with the other parts of the
South-South region, Governor Amaechi said:
“They said the President refused to develop Rivers because he
and I are quarrelling but is he quarrelling with the governor of your state, is
he quarrelling with the governor of Akwa Ibom State? If no, why are the roads
between Aba and Ikot Ekepene so bad and that of Calabar to Ogoja in such a
terrible state?
Amaechi said in 2011, President Jonathan was supported by the
people of the South-South on the basis of his being a son of the zone but in
2015, he said the president would be assessed in terms of merit and achievement
which he has failed by refusing to develop the South-South.
The governor who said that his name is Rotimi Amaechi affirmed
that he is not a brother of the president asserting that the president had by
his actions distanced himself from the brotherhood of the people of the
South-South.
From Calabar the campaign train proceeded to a delayed rally in
Warri, Delta State which took off well behind schedule at about 6.00 p.m.
Speaking to thousands of supporters at the Warri Township
Stadium, Buhari promised to confront the major problems affecting the country.
The APC presidential candidate further promised the
“rehabilitation of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to ensure
cheap and steady fuel in Nigeria.”
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State speaking at the rally
expressed hope that Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, the party’s governorship candidate
in Delta State would change the fortunes of the state as he has achieved in Edo
state.
Speaking shortly after the party National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun
presented the APC flag to Emerhor, a joyous Oshiomhole said, “With Emerhor,
Delta now has a chance to feel the change Edo state has been experiencing under
APC.
“The whole world is
aware and convinced that we changed Edo. Delta can experience that change as
well. All the people need do is to support APC all the way and support Emerhor
to take over Delta Government House come 2015.”
Acknowledging his gubernatorial flag and the teeming party
faithful gathered at the stadium, Emerhor said, “There is no going back with
the wind of change across Nigeria and Delta in particular.
“The APC and it’s candidates are the only symbols of change
Nigerians can depend on if we truly need change from the past years of
uncertainty and failures in nation building. Change in here and change we must
achieve come 2015.”
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