Nigeria’s Former Vice President and 2019 Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said that Nigerians are eager to have the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) back in power in 2023.
Atiku, who spoke on Thursday when he met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in Port Harcourt, said Nigerians were tired of the failed administration of President Muhammadu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, Nigerians cannot wait to bid the APC farewell at the next general elections.
Atiku, however, did not state the purpose of his assumption or conclusion that a majority of Nigerians want the PDP, a party that was rejected at the polls in 2015 and 2019, back.
Atiku said he spent some time with Wike over issues bordering on how to ensure unity and stability in PDP to enable it to sweep the APC away in 2023.
He said, “Well, I came here to reconcile with the governor on party affairs and to discuss how we can ensure that there is unity and stability in the party.
“This is so that we can take over government in 2023. I believe that Nigerians can’t wait for 2023 to come so that PDP will return.”
On insecurity, Atiku said, “I have never seen it (insecurity) this bad. I am 70 years plus, I have never seen it this bad in terms of security challenges, in terms of economy, in terms of unemployment. This is the worst.
“Give us time. We will come up with our policies. We will present them to Nigerians when the time comes.
“We have done that before. Under PDP, we recorded the highest economic growth, the best foreign reserves. We reduced unemployment. You know that we can do it.”
However, reacting to his statement, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said Nigeria will not return to its past years under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The National Secretary of the APC Caretaker Committee, John Akpanudoedehe, in a statement on Friday, said the PDP is a failure and that the opposition party was in power for 16 years, yet there was nothing to show for the time spent.
Akpanudoedehe said, “Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ought to know that Nigerians can never return to Egypt again. They cannot vote the PDP in 2023 having tested the party and known that it is a failure. In other words, nothing good can come out of PDP.”