Ahead of the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a former Head of State, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Addressing his supporters including party chieftains at a well-attended declaration event held at the Eagles Sqaure, Abuja, on Wednesday, Buhari posited that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed the nation in the last 16 years.
He therefore, assured Nigerians that if given the chance, the APC-led government would rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the PDP.
Present at the declaration were APC chieftains including a former Governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state, a former governor of Bayelsa, Timipriye Sylva, a former NBA President, Rotimi Akeredolu, Senators Ali Ndume, Abdullahi Adamu, Babafemi Ojudu among others.
“I humbly wish to present myself before you, before all of Nigeria and before God seeking to be elected as APC’s Presidential candidate,” Buhari told a mammoth crowd that gathered to witness the historic event.
The former Head of state lamented that Nigerians have suffered hardships under the PDP-led federal government, saying that the maladministration should not be allowed to continue forever.
According to him, apart from grappling with extreme poverty, Nigerians are also not safe because of Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping and armed robbery.
However, he contended that “It is everyone’s duty to resolve and help the national effort to overcome these immense challenges.
“I would like us to place on record our appreciation for the efforts of our Armed Forces under new leadership and police in confronting these challenges”.
Buhari again accused the PDP of being masters of rigging, insisting however that such cannot endure.
His words, “Interference in the form of rigging which PDP Government has practiced since 2003 is the worst form of injustice – denying people their right to express their opinions. Whether they like it or not, injustice cannot endure.
“Since 1999 PDP has presided over our country’s decline. Nigeria in my experience has never been so divided, so polarized by an unthinking government hell bent on ruling and stealing forever whatever befalls the country.
“Mr. Chairman, we in APC are resolved to stop them in their tracks and rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of PDP,” he vowed.
Despite the figure been bandied around, Buhari noted that the nation’s economy is not in good shape, saying “The last 16 years of PDP Government has witnessed decline in all critical sectors of life in Nigeria, noting that power outage has taken an alarming dimension.
“When PDP came to power in 1999 Nigeria was generating about 4,000 M/W of electricity. After 15 years and $20 billion spent we are generating between 3,000 – 4,000 M/W.
“No failure is more glaring than this. We in APC are resolved to bring change to Nigeria. We plan to do things differently”.
Prompt News recalls that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a couple of weeks ago declared his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election under the APC platform.
