Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday, explained why Nigerians should vote out President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 16, 2019 presidential election. He, particularly, decried the level of insecurity and poverty in the country. Saraki, who spoke on a live radio programme in Ilorin, Kwara State, described the untold hardship which the All Progressives Congress (APC) he helped to power in 2015 has subjected Nigerians to as unprecedented.
He empathised with Nigerians, especially his people of Kwara State, over the suffering and hardship they were going through, “particularly at this festive period.” Saraki pointed out that the only antidote to the present precarious economic and security situation in the country is for Nigerians to vote out the APC-led Federal Government and elect Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the nation’s president during next year’s general elections.
His words: “Times are very hard for the masses as a result of the level of poverty in the country. Without sentiment, the present government has failed Nigerians. They must, therefore, ensure they vote for a leader that will address poverty and revive the economy. “Nigerians will vote in February 2019, but the business community has already passed a vote of no confidence in this present government. I, therefore, urge Nigerians to vote out this government and vote a man (Atiku) that will restore investors’ confidence and get Nigeria working again. It is only one party that loves the common people and that’s our party, the PDP.” Saraki emphasized that: “I’m in politics to serve my people. When I campaigned in 2015, I pledged to Nigerians that my former party, APC, will address the issues of insecurity, unemployment and poverty, but unfortunately the party has failed on all these three score lines. “I thank God Almighty for the position that was given to Kwara as the number three citizen. We have cut across our zonal intervention projects in the state which wasn’t possible in the first four years as a floor member at the 7th Senate because ranking members add more value to the community/ constituency.”
On the home front, the Senate President urged Kwarans not to be deceived by absentee politicians who only come around about six months to election time. Accusing the opposition elements in the state of insincerity, Saraki challenged them to come out with their programmes for the people of the state. He listed his numerous intervention projects in the areas of education, power, road construction, water and empowerment schemes scattered across the four local government areas that made up his Kwara central constituency. Meanwhile, Saraki has decried what he described as the continued sliding of Nigeria into dictatorship by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
He urged President Buhari to direct the release of social critic, Mr. Deji Adeyanju and ensure that his fundamental human rights were not continuously abused by the Police, saying that the case for which he was being held was more political than judicial. Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the Adeyanju case was presenting the present administration in bad light as a government that was intolerant of criticism and suppressing views of the opposition. He stated that a situation where Adeyanju was arrested after leading a protest in Abuja and sundry charges were filed against him while he was re-arrested after being given bail by a court indicated a deliberate attempt to get him out of circulation.
The President of the Senate expressed concerns that the reports on the Adeyanju case were giving the present administration a bad name and indicating that dictatorial tendencies were becoming rife in a democratic country. He advised President Buhari not to allow the excesses and overzealousness of some security agents to give his government a bad name, saying that these concerns informed his call that Buhari should interfere and let the world know the truth about this case. His words: “The way the matter has been handled and the last decision of the Magistrate Court to remand the young man in prison till after the conclusion of the 2019 polls has presented our democracy in bad light. We are now looking like a country that has receded to the period of military rule.
“The President needs to intervene to find out whether the current travail of Deji Adeyanju has anything to do with his frequently expressed viewpoints against the Federal Government and why his arrest after leading a protest has now ignited all the various charges being filed against him and if it was true that the charges for which he has been remanded in prison till February had actually been adjudicated upon by the High Court. “It should be noted that prior to the coming to office of this government, those of us in opposition, the APC, freely criticized the Goodluck Jonathan government and flayed their actions and statements without any attempt by the administration to stifle opposing views. This administration, which benefitted from such open market place of ideas, which is a key tenet of a democratic regime, cannot offer anything less to our people.
“At this point, President Buhari should not allow the excesses and over-zealousness of some security agents to give his government a bad name and that is why I think he should interfere and let the world know the truth about this case. It is obvious that this case is purely political and not about any judicial action. “I also call on all human rights protection groups to wade into this matter and ensure we do not watch helplessly as the rights of a citizen is being trampled upon.”
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This headline should be “why Saraki is not returning to the senate”.
The APC project failed immediately Saraki teamed up with PDP to become the Senate President.
It takes the Executive and Legislative arm for a political party to make any meaningful impact. Saraki denied APC that opportunity and even if PDP wins the Execute arm, Nigeria will be better of without Saraki in the senate.
The Senate president is part of the government in power and has constitutional means to address the issues he raised instead of throwing it to the masses. Long live Nigeria