Atiku: Like 2019, Kaduna will give me highest number of votes in 2023

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he will get the highest number of votes from Kaduna in the 2023 presidential election.

Polling 613,318 votes, Kaduna gave Atiku his highest tally from a state in the 2019 presidential election — although President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled a total of 993,482 votes to defeat him in the state.

The PDP standard bearer said he would revive “dead” manufacturing industries and end banditry in the state if he is elected president.

He spoke on Monday at the PDP presidential campaign rally at the Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna.

Atiku said he will take issues concerning the state serious if the people vote en masse and ensure he wins the 2023 election.

He said: “Let me thank you for your support in 2019. You gave me the highest number of votes in 2019 and I believe you will do so this time around.

“I have come here on behalf of PDP to tell you [that] if you vote for us, we will end insecurity in Kaduna. We will revive the industries in Kaduna in partnership with the private sector of Kaduna.”

On his part, Ifeanyi Okowa, the vice-presidential candidate, said Nigerians will not go to bed hungry if Atiku is elected president.

He said the former vice-president would also ensure he tackles the problem of insecurity.

“I thank God for the life of Atiku who has a solution to the problems we have in Nigeria. With Atiku as president, we should not go to bed hungry and he is ready to end insecurity in northern Nigeria,” he said.

“Those of us in the south-south, south-east, south-west are ready to vote Atiku and the PDP. When we went to Osun, they said we wouldn’t win but we went there and we won in the home state of the APC presidential candidate. I’m happy with what I have seen here and I thank you for your support.”

Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto and director-general of the Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign, said the economy will bounce back if the PDP returns to power.

He said: “The people of Kaduna have seen and felt the negative impact of the APC and when Atiku gets into power by next year, all the factories will return Insha Allah.

“His administration will ensure we invigorate our economy to have jobs and better life. I urge the people of Kaduna to come out in their millions to vote come February 2023.”

Commenting on the attempts by suspected thugs to disrupt the Kaduna rally, Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, said: “When they go low, we go high. they wanted to stop this rally, but they can’t.

“Whether they give us the venue or not, we will do our rally on the road and win. APC has failed. They don’t want us to recover this country and win. Let nobody deceive himself that we are going to lose. We are united and will win all our elections in Kaduna.”