Thugs destroy Atiku’s campaign office in Akure

Thugs allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State yesterday destroyed the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation’s office in Akure.

Spokesman of the campaign in the state, Kayode Fasua, alleged that the hoodlums were working for the APC.

He said the hoodlums, numbering about 10 and armed to the teeth, stormed the Ijapo Office of the PDP campaign council in the early hours of yesterday and descended on security man on duty, adding that banners, billboards and posters were destroyed.

But the Campaign Organisation in Ondo State condemned the attack on its office in Akure by unknown hoodlums even as Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, said the command was not aware of the incident.

However, has asked Nigerian youths to vote out President Muhammadu Buhari for his poor economic strategies that resulted in the loss of over 10 million jobs between 2015 and 2018.

He declared that if voted into office, his administration would restore the 10 million jobs lost under the Buhari administration since 2015.

Atiku linked rising insecurity in the country to high youths unemployment without serious efforts by government to create jobs.

He, however, assured that if elected President, his administration would take strategic steps to boost local and international businesses, a development he said, would immediately reduce the soaring unemployment figures.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had last month declared that the country’s unemployment rate worsened in the third quarter of 2018, rising from 18.8 per cent in Q3 2017 to 23.1 per cent in Q3 2018.

“They promised to fight corruption, improve our economy and secure our country. Have they achieved anyone of these? When they came in, there was insecurity only in Northeast.

“Today, there is insecurity in the North West and North Central. And we have lost more lives in the history of this country in peaceful times under their administration. They have failed as far as security is concerned,” Atiku said.

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that Governor Kayode Fayemi deprived the party use of the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium to hold Atiku’s presidential campaign.

Atiku’s campaign train is scheduled to visit Ekiti on Monday, January 14, to canvass for votes from the electorate in the February 16 polls.

Briefing journalists in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, state Chairman of the party, Gboyega Oguntuase, said it smacked of disrespect for the state government to frustrate the party from using the stadium it requested for its campaign.

But Fayemi described the allegation as misdirected and spurious, saying the civil servants only replied the letter based on the prevailing situation and that he never influenced their opinion on the matter.

Fayemi, who reacted through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Segun Dipe, said: “When we came on board, virtually all the facilities were in a state of disrepair. The Ikogosi Warm Spring, the Fountain Hotel and the stadium are some of them.”