All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, Malam Ibrahim Skekarau, yesterday moved to Ibadan, Oyo State capital, where it rated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government poor on its seven-point agenda.
Shekarau, who arrived into the waiting arms of ANPP supporters at the ancient Mapo Hall to kick-start his South-West campaign, said it was regrettable that the PDP could not boast of any achievement in the last 12 years.
He said: "The PDP has governed us for 12 years. If you listen to their campaign, there is nowhere they mention their achievements. PDP deserves to be withdrawn from government. We are not talking of change as a mere abstract and empty promises. We are talking of change that is real."
Shekarau, who is the two-term governor of Kano State, promised to replicate his Kano achievements at the national level if giving the opportunity to rule the country.
Stressing that the nation is in dire need of change, Shekarau said the needed change is not about personalities but a change for total life transformation, qualitative education, better road network, health services, electricity supply, food production and reliable transport system.
Also, as the nation prepares for the general elections, Shekarau has urged Nigerians to shake off their apathy to politics by trooping out to vote on polling days.
Shekarau argued that citizens would have no moral ground to complain about bad governance if indeed they failed to actively participate in the polls by electing credible candidates into public offices to run the country.
The ANPP presidential candidate spoke yesterday in Lagos during an interactive session with entertainment practitioners, Nollywood artistes and the media.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Dutse, Jigawa State, concluded his campaign tour of the 36 states. The campaign was flagged off in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Monday, February 7, 2011.
A statement by the presidential spokesman, Ima Niboro, said: "With the conclusion of the state-by-state campaign by President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo, the stage is now set for the grand finale of the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential campaign scheduled to hold at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Saturday, March 26, 2011. .
Niboro added: "Keeping to a gruelling and arduous schedule which sometimes had him campaigning in as many as three states in one day, President Jonathan has successfully taken his message of unity, togetherness, strength in diversity, peace and stability for rapid national progress to all the geo-political zones of the country.
"The President thanks all Nigerians who have turned out in their thousands to listen to him and his team at their various campaign stops across the country.
"He urges Nigerians to affirm that they have indeed received and taken his message of unity, peace and progress to heart by coming out to vote en-masse for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when the general elections begin next month.
"He also extends his heartfelt appreciation to all officials and members of the PDP who have worked extremely hard to make his campaign tour a success and prays that God Almighty will crown their collective efforts with success at the polls."
In his address at the Ibadan rally, Shekarau's running mate, Dr. John Odigie-Oyegun, said the last 12 years of PDP administration was a waste and that Nigerians could no longer be fooled.
Odigie-Oyegun called on the people to vote massively for the ANPP at all levels in the April polls.
On his part, National Chairman, ANPP, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, solicited the zone's votes in the forthcoming polls, assuring that the problems confronting the South-West would be examined when the ANPP takes the Presidency on May 29 this year.
Also, President Jonathan yesterday took his campaign train to Kano State where he pledged to sustain the legacy of a former governor of the state, Malam Aminu Kano.
Though the rally was peaceful, it suffered some hiccups as some unidentified persons cut off the power supply from a generating set to the public address system set up for the event.
President Jonathan, who had to wait for over 30 minutes before the problem with the public address system was rectified, said it was the handiwork of saboteurs who wanted to remind him of their displeasure over the power situation in the country.
Promising to sustain the ideals of the late leader of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) who worked tirelessly for the emancipation of the downtrodden, President Jonathan said: "We would play politics without bitterness. We would offer selfless service to the people. We would help the downtrodden because I share similar background with you too. I am one of those from a poor background; if I am here today, it means there is hope for you too. I will give hope to the young; we will unite all Nigerians and bring peace to this country of ours. With your support, we would achieve the desired objectives."
The President also listed the revitalisation of irrigation projects, road networks as well as railway lines across the country as other areas that that would be accorded top priority if elected into power next month.
Shekarau submitted that he would not like to be President of the country if he had to work with an "irresponsible" National Assembly, stressing that "as such, it is important for Nigerians to be very wary of the kind of people they elect to represent them."
He called to question the achievements of President Jonathan, asking the President to tell the nation what qualified him to be returned to office.
Shekarau said it was regrettable that many Nigerians do not know those representing them in political offices and often do very little in the choice of emergence of their representatives.
He said: "How can anyone claim to be active participant in the electoral system when you don't even know the name of your local government chairman? Most of us, when asked of the name of our local government chairman back in our village of origin, we often declared without any qualms, that we don't know. Many, even here in Lagos, don't know the name of their local government chairman, not to talk of the House of Representative member representing us, or the name of the senator from our districts.
"What many easily know is the governor and the President. But these are only 37 people supposedly representing us. What happens to the 10,000 others drawing salaries purportedly to make life better for the citizens?"
Arguing that those seeking to rule the country should be tasked on their antecedents, Shekarau called on President Jonathan to list the achievement of his administration in the last four years.
His words: "Of course, his (Jonathan's) administration is a continuation of the Yar'Adua's government; even if we don't want to roll the whole thing back to the last 12 years the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been in government at the center.
"Even if we say let us just judge President Jonathan with his one year in office; what has he achieved to qualify him for another four years? This is where enlightened opinion and popular participation in the electoral system comes in. Nigerians must be conscious of those they put in office as that is the only way they can have the moral right to question the government."
Shekarau also noted that it was not enough to fight corruption but concerted effort must be channelled toward educating the people on what constituted graft corruption and its overall impact on the society.
Contrary to widely held belief that one must have a bagful of money to seek elective offices in the country, Shekarau recalled that he had only about N40,000 when he contested and won the Kano State governorship race.
He pointed out that he did not have enough money to tour all the state's 40 local councils as a governorship candidate but that he won even in places he could not campaign because "people heard of my message and my antecedent and they voted for me. In that campaign, just like the on-going one, people who believed in me contributed to our cause."
At the Lagos event were Odigie-Oyegun, Onu and Director-General, Shekarau for Nigeria 2011, Dr. Mohammed Bello.
According to Shekarau, government should be assessed on its contribution to human development.
"One of the things to take into consideration is the education sector, which in our experience as Nigerians has been dwindling year in year out," he said.
Shekarau was between 1988 and 1992, National President of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS). After his statutory two-year tenure, the association offered him the chance to continue in office for another two years, which he declined. "So, I have had my own third term offer long before the PDP government came in with their agenda," he said.
Other parameters of measuring good governance, according to the ANPP presidential candidate, include a good health system, reliable transport network, provision of basic amenities like water and electricity.
"It's not, however, enough to improve infrastructure, but social justice and equity is also very crucial. There is need to protect and promote self-dignity of the people. Restoration of confidence in government is also very important," he said.
As part of his achievement in Kano State, Shekarau stated that 541 new secondary schools have been built by his administration.
The state also promotes girl-child education as it offers free education from primary school to tertiary level to female students.
"If you educate the woman, you have educated the nation," Shekarau said.
Source: Shekarau scores PDP govt low, promises real change (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41913:shekarau-scores-pdp-govt-low-promises-real-change-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)