Democracy won’t survive without civil organisations — Atiku

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has solicited support of civil society organisations in the country for his party.

Atiku revealed this at a parley he held with civil society organisations last Thursday in Abuja.

Atiku said: “There must be a partnership between civil society organisations and political parties to enthrone, sustain, maintain and develop democracy.

Therefore, I would like to appeal for the strengthening of this partnership between civil society organisations and PDP, because it was PDP that enthroned democracy in this country in 1999, and not the APC.”

He explained that there was need to dignify Nigerians at home and abroad, which a PDP government would do through providing good governance, security, jobs and prosperity. “We will also respect law and order and obey court orders,” he said.

He assured his guests that his party would tackle the issue of kidnapping by providing employment, “because most of those kidnapping are jobless.”

Atiku said it is possible to bring back Nigerians that have excelled abroad by offering them things they are used to abroad.

“Nigerians are some of the best brains abroad. And if we want our citizens who have excelled abroad to return home, let us provide what they get there, and this is doable because we have the human and material resources to do it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Kogi West senatorial race, Senator Smart Adeyemi has accused Atiku and PDP of frustrating and destroying Ajaokuta Steel complex.

Speaking at the flag off of APC zonal rally in Kabba for Kogi West, he said the PDP presidential candidate was chairman of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) that supervised sale of the company.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari would do everything possible to ensure that Ajaokuta was fully back on stream.

At the rally, not less than 3,252 PDP members, led by two former commissioners in the immediate past administration of former Governor Idris Wada, dumped PDP for the ruling APC in Kogi West. 

But in a swift reaction, the State PDP publicity secretary said Senator Adeyemi was part and parcel of the PDP, where he benefitted immensely and was elected senator twice, when he held juicy position as senate committee chairman for FCT.

“Adeyemi was in the Senate for eight years, and we did not hear him mention Ajaokuta in any of his statements or motion as senator. Now that he knows he will fail and lose woefully to Senator Dino Melaye, he is trying to hold to any kind of straw he thinks will make him survive the tsunami about to happen.”

Also reacting to the story of 3,252 members that defected from PDP to APC, Melaye said such never happened, as no one would wish to buy hunger with their money.