Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi States, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has urged electorates to vote for candidates of the PDP.
The former vice president, in a video clip on Wednesday, described the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress in these states as stooges of some godfathers.
Atiku said the groundswell of dissatisfaction and resentment about how the Independent National Electoral Commission allegedly walked back on the promise of transparency in the last general elections was not enough reason for the electorate to give up on democracy.
He declared that the objective of defeating anti-democratic elements in the polity could not be successful if citizens in the three states refuse to go out en masse to cast their ballot on election day.
Atiku stated “And that is why I am appealing to the good people of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states to come out in large numbers this Saturday to vote for the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in those respective elections.
“In Bayelsa State, Governor Duoye Diri has given a good account of himself as a leader who is directly responsible to the people. His giant strides in the areas of infrastructure and social development speak volumes about how his government has been able to touch the lives of the people positively.
“In Kogi, Senator Dino Melaye has shown great capacity to stand on the side of the people and, by so doing, using every opportunity available to him to drive speedy development to his constituents. Electing him governor will afford him a bigger platform to do even more.
“In Imo State, too, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu has a rich profile of a political leader who is not only in touch with the grassroots but is committed to protecting the interests of his constituents Senator Anyanwu is a political leader who I believe has what it takes to take Imo State to higher pedestal in good governance.
“While our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has put forth visionary leaders whose main objective is to serve the people, it is a different story altogether with our main rival, the APC. In Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo, candidates flying the flags of the APC are known to be stooges of some godfathers within or outside of those states.” (Punch)
