Ahead of next year’s election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said there is no time to experiment with those without experience.
He also blamed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government for the dwindling value of the Nigerian currency-the Naira and the scary security situation.
Addressing press a conference Tuesday in Abuja, Director Strategic Communication Atiku Campaign Organisation Dele Momodu said the PDP had been extremely good to Nigerians.
Momodu lamented that Nigeria is today in a precarious state, warning that “if we do not have an experienced person to manage it, the prediction that Nigeria can collapse can happen easily.
“That is why we say, we do not have time for experiments, we need a man that can hit the ground running from day one. We need a man who knows every part of Nigeria. There is no candidate today who has had a national assignment among the candidates, maybe Kwankwaso as a minister.
“But we are talking about the most experienced, most productive vice president like Atiku Abubakar, a man who has been able to employ young people from every part of the country.
“It is very easy to say I can do this and I can do that, but the person who can tell you what he can do is the person who has done it before in his private and public life. That is Atiku Abubakar.”
Momodu further said the PDP and the presidential flagbearers were worried by the unabating insecurity in the country.
He said the recent security alerts by some foreign Embassies and Missions in Nigeria, though dismissed as unwarranted by the government, were “just a reminder of the perilous time we are in at the moment.
“We call on security agencies to be at the top of their game to ensure that none of the scary scenarios painted by the security alert come to past, while we also caution Nigerians to remain vigilant.”
Atiku’s campaign organisation also described the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s manifesto renewed hope as “renewed hopelessness”.
Also speaking, the spokesperson of the Atiku’s campaign organisation, Charles Aniagwu assured that Atiku would rescue and rebuild the nation when elected.
He said: “The PDP has moved on, we will accommodate those who want to join. It is only our party and the Presidential candidate that have visited 3 states to campaign.
“Atiku is ready to hit the ground running once elected the President Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has the experience and the global network to make things work and rescue the country from the misrule of the APC.
“Nigerians should ignore their renewed hope. What hope are they coming to renew? APC wants to renew hopelessness. Nigerians should reject the party and vote PDP’s candidate.”
Tinubu meets OPS
But while the PDP was hitting hard at the APC, its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team, shared details of his economic blueprint with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) during an interactive meeting with industrialists, business executives, entrepreneurs and foreign investors in Lagos, Tuesday.
The forum, held at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, was organised at the instance of the Lagos State Government.
Chairman Dangote Group Aliko Dangote, foremost entrepreneur and investor, Tony Elumelu, and founder of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, led the pack of business leaders that graced the event, which was also attended by Tinubu’s running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, APC governors and party stalwarts.
Speaking at the event, Tinubu said the 2023 presidential election presented another opportunity for Nigeria, which, he said, “stands at the threshold between indifference and greatness.”
He said the cardinal programmes of his economic policies would not be limited to the sole domain of one sector, noting that the benefits would be reaped in the cooperation between government and the private sector.
Tinubu said the private sector and the government should constantly be at war, but must not wage the battle as enemies.
He said the government and business community must stand as inseparable allies to combat common enemies of scarcity, underdevelopment, joblessness and the fear they brought to the polity.
The APC candidate said his administration would be targeting double digit GDP for the country to reduce the poverty rate and revive industries by bringing the nation’s industrial policy to life.
Tinubu said: “I share a few ideas that provide some insight into my vision for a more prosperous and secure nation where hope is renewed and despair rebuffed. All Nigerians must be partners in our better future. We must maintain the spirit of respectful and productive dialogue. At times what I say may help you. Other times, what you say may enlighten me. We must always talk and confer with the best of intentions. Just as I maintain open-door policy before the election, I shall continue to honour it after the election.
“We shall not be satisfied by bolstering traditional sectors. We will foster productive excellence in new areas, such as manufacturing and the Nollywood entertainment sector. Through active participation in the digital economy, we shall make Nigeria a leader, instead of a bystander, in the fourth industrial revolution. We will seek a consumer credit revolution, working in concert with the banking sector. Credit at affordable rates enables the purchase of more homemade products and the construction of more homes. The standard of living shall rise and the strength of the business sector shall increase in similar measure.”
The APC presidential candidate said his experience in both private sector and public office afforded him a special appreciation of the economic potency that could be achieved leveraging collaboration between the government and the business community.
Tinubu said Lagos was the appropriate location for the private sector engagement, because the state’s economic growth had become his visible experiment that could support his claim of competency and ability.
On security, Tinubu said if elected in 2023, his administration would enlist more people in the armed forces, security services and the police as part of measures to tackle insecurity.
He said his administration would continue the fight against insecurity by redefining the country’s counterinsurgency doctrine and practice.
“We shall enlist more people in the armed forces, security services and the police. Our forces will be given better tactical communications, mobility as well as improved aerial and ground surveillance capacity.
“Through these and other measures, we shall better identify, monitor, track, and defeat these evil groups where they are. They shall have no respite until they surrender or are utterly defeated,” he added.
Shettima on insurgency
Also speaking at the event, Senator Shettima said if elected in 2023, the Tinubu-led government would end insurgency within six months and one year.
“Within six months and one year, my leader (Tinubu) will mobilise the leadership to end this madness,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu sets tone
Setting the tone for the engagement, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Tinubu’s meeting with the OPS players way ahead of his fellow contenders in the presidential race, demonstrated the APC candidate’s commitment and seriousness to drive the desired change expected in the national economy.
Sanwo-Olu said his predecessor was “no stranger to the needs, concerns and interests of the private sector,” describing him as “a visionary political economist, understood the pulse of investors and possessed the magic wand to turn around contemporary challenges facing the business community and change their concerns to positive results.
“Asiwaju Tinubu is a man that has been able to combine political acumen with the understanding of the economy and economics of every jurisdiction. As Governor of Lagos, Tinubu pioneered several firsts which still stand till today. During Asiwaju’s tenure, he initiated the idea of the Economic Summit as a catalyst for economic development. He started in Lagos with the Ehingbeti Summit in 2001. That summit has continued to lead the successive administrations after him into various applaudable economic agendas.
“Under the Tinubu’s leadership, Lagos became the first sub-national entity to bring about the Independent Power Project (IPP) and first state to initiate the idea of establishing a seaport. Yesterday (last Monday) that vision came to fruition as we witnessed the completion of Lekki Deep Seaport. This speaks to the sheer doggedness and audacity of this man of vision. Eko Atlantic City is today the biggest real estate developed in this part of Africa through reclamation of the ocean. All thanks to the vision of Asiwaju to turn problems to opportunities.”
He said the immersion of private sector professionals in public governance was an idea fiercely pursued by Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos governor, stressing that the APC candidate created a first-rated private sector-driven cabinet that remained the envy of every government in the current republic.
“Today, Tinubu is here as a politician and leader of our party. On the other side, you all see a man that is compassionate, intelligent, business-driven and has acumen to solve the challenges the private sector experiences on a daily basis. I present to you the man that has what it takes to lead this country forward to the prosperous future with Renewed Hope,” the Lagos governor said.