A former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has promised to end insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country, if elected President under the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections.
The pledge is coming amidst rising insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the North-East and especially the Friday’s attack on Kano Central Mosque
The pledge is coming amidst rising insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the North-East and especially the Friday’s attack on Kano Central Mosque
He also denied sharing money to delegates during his recent visit to Imo State during his nationwide tour to meet the APC delegates.
The Head (Media, Publicity and ICT) in Buhari Support Organisation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, stated this in his weekly brief on “GMB meet the party delegates nationwide tour,” read to journalists on Friday in Abuja.
“At no time did GMB, all through this meet the delegates tour, share money or lobby any delegate with money. As we all know, a leopard can never change its spot. Friends and sympathisers may have privately encouraged their colleagues to attend the delegates’ meeting, certainly not GMB directing or approving any monetary exchange, as being falsely reported by some online media,” he stated.
In his nationwide tour to meet delegates, Buhari had visited Abia, Bayelsa, Imo, Delta, Cross River and Rivers states, where Governor Rotimi Amaechi described him as a committed and focused leader whose watchword was integrity.
Maduekwe said, “The summary of all the response and the welcoming remarks by GMB at various state capitals can be summarised. He made it clear that this country must first be secured and efficiently and effectively managed if our nation is to bounce back to normalcy for our people to prosper. Leadership integrity must be the focused watchword if we must salvage Nigeria once again.
“We recall that we fought a civil war without borrowing a kobo. But now, despite budgeting well over 25 per cent of the national annual budget to defence, we are borrowing $1bn to prosecute insurgency. Yet, all we keep hearing is the low morale of our fighting forces as they melt before the rampaging ill-trained insurgents.
“A situation where about 20 LGAs of this country are under an alien flag can no longer be tolerated. APC is ready to turn the tide to bring Nigeria back into the fold of proud and respectable community of African nations. Our watch-word is: Securing our nation, prospering our people.”
He added, “One is worried to read about Nigerian soldiers giving interview to foreign media on how under-equipped they are as they face the insurgency. Effort by the National Assembly to conduct hearing on such sad development is hushed down. Same as the NASS hearing on the subsidy scam which till this date has remained a mystery to our general public.”
Buhari has also asked Nigerians to make sure their votes count during the 2015 general elections.
Buhari spoke at a reception organised for him at the APC secretariat in Enugu State on Saturday evening, where he observed that soldiers engaged in the campaign against terrorism and insurgency had complained of inadequate weapons, despite the huge security budget, as well as lack of effective leadership.
“Vote and make sure that your votes count,” Buhari told the gathering, including leaders and members of the APC state chapter as well as national delegates from the state.
He urged eligible voters to obtain the permanent voter card, which he described as the “ammunition” to rout the Peoples Democratic Party during the election.
The presidential aspirant noted that there was no point in asking the people to come out to meet him if they did not have voter cards.
Stressing the need to vote out the PDP in the coming polls, Buhari said 2015 would be a very crucial year for Nigeria.
