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The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), has stated that if corruption is not killed in Nigeria, it will kill the people.
APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said there would be proper funeral for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on March 28, with President Goodluck Jonathan sent on honourable retirement.
The Director-General of Buhari Campaign Organisation, Governor Rotimi Amaechi said Jonathan was afraid of the election.
Buhari, Odigie-Oyegun, Amaechi and other leaders of the APC spoke yesterday at the party’s well-attended Southsouth zonal rally at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The rally was also attended by a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the APC, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; the Rivers governorship candidate of the party, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and his wife, Elima, a lawyer; the standard bearer of the APC in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Amaechi’s wife, Judith; a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva; the Rivers Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, and the state’s Chairman of the APC, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, among other eminent personalities.
Gen. Buhari said: “If we do not kill corruption in this country, corruption will kill Nigerians. I assure you, we will plough back the funds for good infrastructure. Nigeria, with my experience in the petroleum industry, we are more of a gas country than petroleum country and we have no business not having regular electricity in this country. If you remove corruption, we need at least five years to have steady electric power, because we have to take the gas out. The gas is associated. It comes out with crude oil. You need high technology to separate it, to transport it, store it and build the power stations. Meanwhile, you have to complement it with the existing power stations, by maintaining them quarterly.
“When the PDP came, the megawatts (of electricity) was about 3000. After spending more than $20 billion in the last 16 years, we do not have up to 4000 megawatts. We must kill corruption. The leaders of the APC that are here (Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt) from the six states of the South-South (Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River), I want you to be serious about your country. We just have to kill corruption. Tell your colleagues throughout the geo-political zone (South-South) to make sure that on March 28 and April 11 to cast their votes for the candidates of the APC, with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Make sure your votes count. If you do not do it, you are really going to physically, materially and morally regret it. God forbid.”
Odigie-Oyegun, while also speaking, reiterated that the APC’s campaign team was on Wednesday in the Northwest zone, where it had a great reception and decided to move to the Southsouth zone yesterday.
The national chairman of APC said: “These two zones (Northwest and Southsouth) were not chosen by accident. They represent what we now call an assessment exercise. They are critical to the massive victory that we want to record on March 28. Are you going to contribute to the victory? The Northwest is the homebase of the incoming President (Buhari). The Southsouth is the homebase of the outgoing President (Dr. Jonathan). So, they are critical to the massive victory we want to record.
“Let me warn. They are down, but they are not yet out. So, there is a lot of work to do. That is what brought us here today. Let us not celebrate victory, until there is victory. There is work to be done, to make sure that the funeral of the PDP that was postponed for six weeks, they thought in six weeks, they could resurrect, let us make sure we have a proper funeral ceremony for the PDP onMarch 28.”
Amaechi said the Amnesty Programme would be continued, but all the persons that the Jonathan administration left behind would be added.
The governor said the Jonathan’s administration accommodated very few repentant Niger Delta militants in the amnesty programme, initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009.
Amaechi said: “You know I was in PDP. For the first time, I can see fear in their eyes. Even President Goodluck Jonathan is afraid. Before, he was walking like a big man, now everybody walks with respect. Everybody dey maintain, no be am? Even President Jonathan dey maintain. Now, na man pass man we dey. President Jonathan scored 1.8 million votes last time (in 2011), let him come and take it, let us see. Let him come and take the 1.8 million votes, let us see. We will be watching him with our eyes.
“Let me tell you the truth. Everyday, the police are arresting our people. It is only two weeks (to March 28 elections). I do not see CP (Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Dan Bature). I do not see anybody. On March 29, 2015, they will come and salute me again.
“Over 30 members of the APC have been killed (in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers State). There is no day that passes that they will not kill an APC member. Even today, they will kill one. They will account for these people. The President (Dr. Jonathan) said to us that his ambition is not worth anybody’s life, but what about the 30 persons killed? Can the President tell us that he will not run again, because he has allowed his people to kill 30 of our persons. Yesterday (on Wednesday), they (the police) were pursuing APC members round Port Harcourt. Anywhere we are campaigning, they will come and harass us. In Rivers State, we are not running against the PDP, we are running against the police. Today, the Chairman of Abua/Odual (LGA of Rivers State) is in a cell in Abuja, for being a member of the APC. Only two more weeks. They are intimidating you. If you want your own freedom, vote PDP out.
“On March 28, nobody will touch the card reader. That is their purge. They are already purging. My friend, Liyel Imoke (Governor of Cross River State), who does not answer my phone calls again, was preaching that all Nigerians must be allowed to vote and that if all Nigerians must be allowed to vote, we should therefore not use card readers. When we were writing results, were Nigerians voting? I told Liyel Imoke that my Bishop preached in the church and he got up to go and vote, but they told him to go back home, that they had voted for him, but he asked them: how did you know whom I would vote for?
“If INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) says 75 to 80 per cent, the commission is ready, Liyel Imoke is asking us that he wants all Nigerians to vote. No time that all Nigerians will ever vote. Majority of all Nigerians must be allowed to vote. What INEC is doing now is better than in the past, where we wrote our results. In the Southsouth and Southeast, we were writing results, people do not vote. This is the first time we will vote. PDP is afraid of card readers, because they know that if the card readers work, then the elections are over. That is why I am very proud to be a member of the APC in the South-South.”
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