Atiku Abubakar, former Vice-President and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has explained why the nation has divided further.
Atiku also disclosed that the disunity was because the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government has been unfair to all parts of the country.
According to the former vice-president, the nation was not this disunited during the civil war era.
He added that insecurity has been a major challenge facing the nation.
These statements were made on Saturday by Atiku in Abeokuta, Ogun State while addressing PDP delegates ahead of the forthcoming presidential primaries.
The 2019 PDP presidential candidate said the Olusegun Obasanjo government, which he served under as the VP from 1999 to 2007, united Nigerians by forming a government of national unity.
The Waziri Adamawa said it would not be easy to govern a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation if there is no unity and peace.
He promised to unite Nigeria by giving every part a sense of belonging, by tackling insecurity and implementing his economic development blueprint towards transforming the country.
He vowed to ensure the devolution of powers from the states and local governments, adding that he would not disappoint Nigerians if elected next president.
“We have never witnessed the kind of disunity we have today in this country, even during the civil war; and why do we have disunity? It is because the APC government has not been fair to all parts of this country,” Atiku said.
While promising to unify Nigeria, he recalled that “we have done it before in 1999 when we came on board.”
He recounted that a sitting governor a few days ago, while declaring for president promised to ensure local government autonomy.
However, he observed that the said governor does not give autonomy to the local governments in his state, saying “you can see the hypocrisy from some of our leaders.”
He promised to initiate constitutional reforms to give states and local governments more powers and more resources.
“If you vote for me, I promise I will not fail you and I will not fail Nigeria,” he asserted.
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