From John Adams, Minna
Former Senate President and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim has placed the country current woos on the door step of the All Progressive Congress (APC) government led by President Mohammed Buhari, saying that Nigeria is currently in crisis.
The PDP Presidential hopeful said the APC government has destroyed all the gains recorded by the PDP since democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999 because of bad leadership.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) who spoke in Minna on Friday when he addressed the PDP delegates at the party office, specifically pointed out that under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the country was in a steady growth in all aspect of development “but this administration has turned the country up-side-down since 2015”.
He singled out insecurity and the current high rate of poverty among Nigerians as the greatest challenges facing the country since independence, saying that the country has never had it so bad.
While soliciting for the support of the delegates towards his emergence as the party Presidential candidate, Anyim told them that his over thirty years in government have given him enough knowledge on how to tackle the nation’s current challenges.
Anyim emphasized the need for the delegates to be careful in their choice of candidate as many Aspirants will be coming to solicit for their support, adding that “if we enthrone the wrong leaders like the current All Progressives Congress (APC) government then we will have everything wrong.
But, if we choose the right leaders like the PDP with vision then everything will get better.
“I have been in the circle of government for thirty three years, I have clear and detailed knowledge of the country after I have transversed all the States of the country, I did not just get up to want to run for the Presidency because I am a politician, I got up to fill a vacuum because I have something to offer.
“Our country needs to be freed, Nigeria needs to be rescued from these people (APC) who have dragged us far behind. The last time we had a country was when the PDP was in power”, stressing that “that is when I hear people saying, please return PDP to the country, I am always happy because the party (PDP) has values and Nigeria was more secured, united, growing faster economically under PDP”.
Leader of the Party in Niger, Senator Zainab Kure commended Senator Pius Anyim for his promises, saying the Baro port is long overdue. As then Senate Committee Chairman on Maritime, I commissioned the Onitsha port, but this current administration did not do anything about Baro, they only did some drama there and left”.
In his remarks, state Chairman of the PDP, Barrister Tanko Beji assured the former Senate President of delegates participation, adding that “Niger delegates are very excited to have you and the roles you played in the past”.