Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The campaign train of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, arrived Katsina on Thursday to a rousing reception as several thousands of his supporters thronged the Dikko Stadium, venue of the rally.
With a pledge to reverse what he described as policies of underdevelopment of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC), Atiku urged the security agencies not to allow themselves to be used by anti-democratic forces to scuttle the “will of the people” during the forthcoming general elections.
“I urge the police, military, civil defence corps, and all other security agencies to resist any attempt by any political party to draw them into partisan politics.
“Your mandate is to provide security for the electorate and ensure peaceful elections. You must not interfere in the process; you must conduct yourselves professionally during the elections,” Atiku said even as he told the youths and prospective voters to, “make sure that your votes are counted at the polling unit level so that nobody will be able to change the figures.
“As you are aware, the APC government has failed in its promises on poverty eradication, provision of job opportunities; but when I am elected, I promise to fix all these issues and return Nigeria to the path of sustainable development.”
Also addressing the rally, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, alleged a plot by the APC administration to rig results of the polls explaining that the recent redeployment exercise of police commissioners was designed to enact that plot.
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According to Secondus, the mass turn out at the rally was an indication that the people “have already started celebrating the victory of the next president of Nigeria.
“There is no doubt that the people are clamouring to vote Atiku Abubakar for president because he is the only one who can return security to the land.”
And for the PDP National Secretary, Senator Umar Tsauri, “we are here to present Atiku Abubakar to the people of Katsina State. You know that there is hunger in the land and your children no longer go to school. The only person who can drive away hunger and poverty in the land is Atiku Abubakar. If you vote PDP, we shall go back to where we were before the APC government came and dragged us backward.”
The Atiku campaign train had earlier visited the emirs of Daura and Katsina.