By Godwin Isenyo
A former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has vowed to deliver the state to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, as well as other candidates of the party in the forthcoming general elections.
Explaining the rationale behind not following the party’s presidential candidate on campaign rallies across the country, Makarfi noted that the business of returning the party is cumbersome; hence he chose to remain behind at home (Kaduna) to mobilise for the party ahead of the polls.
The former governor, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday, lamented that the ruling All Progressives Congress has brought poverty and hardship on Nigerians, noting that it is time to sack the party.
The two-term senator who represented the Northern Senatorial District urged Nigerians to come out en masse to vote for the PDP in the forthcoming elections, saying that the party remained the only political party devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments in the country.
Makarfi noted that despite the current internal wrangling in the party, the PDP would win the forthcoming election at the first ballot while urging Nigerians to safeguard electoral materials so that “unpatriotic elements in our country don’t subvert democracy.”
“Some people think that with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the election cannot be manipulated. It can. I believe those in authority know it can. So, let us safeguard the electoral materials and equipment to make sure that unpatriotic elements in our country don’t subvert democracy,” he said.
Makarfi said the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the ruling party was targeted at dividing Nigeria along the religious line to retain power.
He said, “Politics is local. I have been at home leading the PDP campaign here. If you notice, hardly do you see me at the national rally. This is because my personal opinion is that the work is at home and the work at home is enormous. Therefore, one needs to be at home to do the needful.
“It is not about following candidates on campaign tours. I may not be going to rally with our candidate but I am 100 per cent with our candidate. I am at home working 100 per cent to make sure that Kaduna returns to the PDP.
“The issue is the voters. The ruling APC has nothing to show to the voters that will make voters enthusiastic to vote for them but they want to make use of money, religious sentiment and from experience, this sentiment will take them nowhere.”
Source: The Punch
