Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was in Ekiti on Monday to seek the votes of the electorate and the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, charged the people to vote a president that will be there for them.

Secondus, who addressed the rally held at the Ekiti Parapo Pavillion, said the people should not vote for a president that will work nearly 24 hours daily because “Nigeria is a big country and needs a president that has the energy to work.”

The PDP national chairman also warned against rigging of the coming general election in the country and reiterated his allegation that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies were allegedly planning to rig the elections.

Secondus said INEC and the security agencies must desist from acts that were capable of throwing the country into chaos, by attempting to subvert the will of the electorate in the country.

He said the international community was watching the electoral process closely, and expressed the hope that PDP would win the election “so as to take Nigeria out of the misrule of the current government.”

Secondus said: “Do you know why the economy has collapsed? Do you know why hunger is in the land? Your President Buhari is a sleeping president. He has no energy that is why the economy has collapsed, we are coming with Atiku who has energy and can work 24 hours a day not the one that would work for three years.

“This government of APC wants to rig election but we want to tell you that they cannot rig the coming elections because the world will focus on Nigeria. So we are going to win this election, look at Atiku, he is tested and trusted in public and private sectors. he is a man that can turn economy around. And he has the energy for the job.”

Addressing the rally, Atiku Abubakar promised not to abandon the people if they elect him as their president, and assured that he would be there for them at all times.

The PDP presidential flagbearer said “APC has stolen all your jobs, now they want to steal your votes. They did it in Ekiti and Osun, Ogun, Bauchi, they even stole in Kastina. I don’t know why they have to steal in their home.

“Ekiti State has always been PDP. When we paid a courtesy call to the traditional rulers at the palace of Ewi of Ado, Oba Adeyemi Adejugbe, they said they want us to build the roads, we will complete all federal projects not completed.

“We will restore standard and quality education so that we can give you jobs. APC don’t know how to create jobs and don’t know how to give you. 40 per cent of our portfolios will go to youths while 30 per cent will go to women and that is 70 for youths and women. We know how to do it and we have done it before. We will do it again.”

The Director-General of the campaign and Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in his speech, urged the people, particularly the youths to vote Atiku, saying “he will give you jobs as he has given millions through his private business.”

According to Saraki, “youths you are the future we need. A leader has to make good his promises. Three and a half years ago, they promised to create jobs. But today, 10 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. They promised us security, three years ago, insecurity was only in the North East, but today, there’s insecurity in the North West; there’s insecurity in the North Central and there’s insecurity even in the North West. We must not continue like this.”

•Sourced from a Tribune report

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