Stepken Oni/ Ilorin

Governor Abdulfatah welcomes Abubakar Atiku to the ceremony in Ilorin

For failing to provide adequate security for Nigerians, leaders of the All Progressive Congress, APC, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal,on Wednesday 5 October in Ilorin pointedly told President Goodluck Jonathan to resign from office immediately.

The APC leaders, who spoke at the formal declaration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for second term, cited the growing spate of insurgency and the failure of President Jonathan to meet the yearning and aspirations of the citizenry as reasons why the President must vacate his office without further delay.

The former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, condemned the Jonathan administration for not being honest with Nigerians about the security situation in the North East, arguing that if all that is happening in Nigeria happen in other civilised climes, their Presidents would have thrown in the towel.

He said: “I saw the sea of refuges and the lies coming from Jonathan’s administration. They have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision, creativity; the lie of yesterday is what they repeat today and it is what they will repeat tomorrow. They are lying to you. They are lying about the security; toying about the security of this country.

Tinubu and Atiku in Ilorin

“I don’t have time to explain the logic of their lies, but if you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the federal republic, why should any part of this country be under occupation and you give us excuses every day? In any civilised country, Jonathan should have resigned. But if he will not resign he should wait for our brooms; we will sweep them away.

“What I want to beg of you is to be ready to defend for change. The race has started again. The thieves that daily steal your money; they have not given you any job; they cannot create jobs and they are starving states of funds to pay workers salaries. The best thing to do is to sweep them away through broom revolution. APC is a party of the masses.

“It now behoves you to begin a house to house campaign that this is a party of the masses. You had not seen Bukola and myself mounting the same podium campaigning for the same party before this time. This is a new beginning. This is a time of good things and tidings from us. We have brought good luck and commonsense revolution.

“Now it is time to apply commonsense revolution and it is about your lives. It is about your education, your jobs and about the security of this country. We stay together since independence and we will remain together. Any thing affecting any section of this country affects all of us.”

Also speaking, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, described the PDP administration as that of bad governance and urged voters to reject Jonathan in 2015. He expressed confidence that given its rich political history, Kwara would lead the pack in voting out the PDP.

He said: “When it comes to presidential election, I am sure that the state will provide leadership to the extent that we shall deliver this country, the government at the centre, to APC. By voting APC at the centre you will be voting for prosperity and eradication of poverty. What we are witnessing today in Nigeria is not good governance. We are witnessing a system that does not have the interest of the people of this country at heart. It is also incumbent on us as a people to turn out en-masse and vote out Goodluck Ebele Jonathan come 2015. That will bring peace, progress and development of Nigeria.”

Also speaking, the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, said APC members must be ready to face the guns during the coming elections by staying to monitor the outcome of their votes so that it would not be manipulated. He also canvassed better funding of the military, expressing dismay that a few number of insurgents could so easily overrun a national army as is being witnessed in the north-east.

The event which was attended by a mammoth crowd was witnessed by three presidential aspirants of the party, General Mohammed Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kano state governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwanso.

Other personalities at the event included Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Sokoto state governor, Alhaji Aliu Wamakko and former Ekiti state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi while the governors of Ogun and Nasarawa states were represented. The list also included former Kwara state governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, and former Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.