Gen. Buhari takes campaign to Jonathan’s home base.

All
Progressives Congress, APC,
Presidential candidate, General
Muhammadu Buhari (retd),
yesterday, took his campaign to
the home base of President
Goodluck Jonathan in Bayelsa and
Rivers States with a promise to
frontally address environmental
concerns and degraded
infrastructure, if elected.
Buhari’s promise to implement the
United Nations Environmental
Programme, UNEP, report on
Ogoniland was elatedly received by
Ogoni traditional rulers who
through the president, Supreme
Council of Ogoni Traditional
Rulers, King Godwin Biniwa,
handed him a sword to wipe out
their tears when he emerges
president.
General Buhari and his entourage,
following the stop at Ogoniland,
followed up with campaigns in
Yenogoa, Bayelsa State the home
base of the president and his main
rival for the presidency.
Meanwhile, his running mate, Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo, in Benin City, Edo
State, said the country would be
unrecognisable in one year of an
APC government.
His position came as Governor
Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State
regretted that President Goodluck
Jonathan was blaming his
predecessors in office when his six
years in office has only brought
agony and poverty to Nigerians.
At an interactive session with
students, traditional rulers, market
women and professionals in Benin
City, yesterday, Osinbajo said an
APC government would within one
year solve the power problem, free
health care and free food for
school children.
He added that though the nation
was rich, “we lack the leadership
to harness our resources,” just as
he noted that insurgency and
corruption had thrived because
President Jonathan lacks the
political will to fight them.
Buhari urges Ogonis to vote APC
Speaking in Saakpenwa,
headquarters of Tai Local
Government Area during a meeting
with Ogoni people, Buhari
appealed to the people to vote for
the APC and urged them to get
their Permanent Voters Cards,
PVCs.
Flaying the neglect of the region,
Buhari put the blame squarely on
President Jonathan saying: “The
decision of the Federal Government
to abandon the Bodo-Bonny road
project is a clear case of
incompetence and social injustice.
It amounts to neglect at the
highest level.
A lot is taken from Ogoniland and
relatively little is brought back in
return. I assure you that an APC-
led Federal Government will fulfil
all its promises in Ogoniland.”
Senator Magnus Abe, who hails
from the area, was absent during
the visit. In a statement read on
his behalf, he lamented the pains
the Ogoni had suffered in the
nation.
Magnus, who represents the Rivers
South-East senatorial district in
the National Assembly, further
appealed to the people to vote the
APC.
He said: “Our position as a people
concerning resumption of oil
exploration in Ogoni is that, there
should be adequate consultation
with and participation of the
Ogonis in the process leading to
their eventual operation.
“As a deprived people, we have
consistently placed in the domains
of all governments, the Ogoni Bill
of Rights (OBR) that seeks for
equal representation of Ogonis in
the affairs of the nation. These
demands include appointment of
Ogoni sons and daughters in
government, provision of live
sustainable infrastructures, such
as good roads, water and
development institutions.”
On his part, Director General,
Buhari Presidential Campaign
Organisation, Governor Chibuike
Amaechi of Rivers State, urged the
people to vote for the APC, saying
the Ogoni had suffered neglect in
the country.
President, Supreme Council of
Ogoni Traditional Rulers, King
Godwin Biniwa, later handed a
copy of the UNEP report and a
sword to Buhari, urging him to
wipe out their tears when he
emerges president.
Buhari identifies bane of nation’s
march to greatness
Buhari repeated the same vow of
dealing with environmental
problems in Bayelsa where he was
received by thousands of
supporters who had defied the
scorching sun and long delay to
receive him at the Samson Siasia
Stadium.
The stadium was filled to capacity
as at 3 p.m. five hours after his
scheduled arrival as party
supporters busied themselves with
entertainments provided by dance
troupes and other entertainers.
Speaking at the event, Buhari
identified corruption, insecurity and
incompetent leadership as bane of
the nation’s march to greatness
even as he promised to tackle
environmental pollution ravaging
the Niger Delta region.
He also promised to revive
agriculture and fishing in the
region to boost food production
and reduce the rate of
unemployment in the country.
He lamented that the PDP
neglected agriculture with the
result that the nation is dependent
on imports to feed her population.
He also noted with sadness that
the people of the Niger Delta can
no longer fish in their troubled
water due to pollution and
promised to work with the United
Nations to remediate the
environment if voted into office.
Also speaking, Governor Amaechi
in his speech at the occasion
assured that the party would
create jobs, tackle poverty,
unemployment and insecurity in
the country of voted into power.
A bad brother is not as good as a
good friend— Sylva
Earlier, the immediate past
governor of the state, Chief Timipre
Sylva, urged Bayelsans to vote out
Jonathan, saying: “A bad brother
is not as good as a good friend.”
He said: “Vote APC and welcome
prosperity, good governance into
your homes. I have gone to the
West, East, North and South, I
have one assurance that Buhari
has won the 2015 poll.”
Highlight of the occasion was the
presentation of flags to the party
senatorial candidates in the
forthcoming National Assembly
polls. They include, Chief Timipre
Sylva for Bayelsa East, Eddie
Julius, Bayelsa West and Preye
Aganaba, Bayelsa Central.