The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, has called on Nigerians to vote for the main opposition party in the 2023 general election, saying that the country will rise again under its administration.
Ayu made the call on Saturday during the 2022 Special National Convention which was held at the MKO Abiola International Stadium in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government for its handling of the nation’s economy, lamenting that Africa’s most populous country is now the headquarters of poverty in the world.
According to the PDP National Chairman, Nigerians are yearning for the return of the opposition party at the federal level.
This, to Ayu, is because the indices under the current administration from terrorism to job creation, debt as well as security challenges has shown that things have worsened.
“In December when we took over, I urged you all to keep hopes alive that with PDP, Nigeria shall rise again. Today, as I welcome all you delegates, observers and stakeholders to our national convention, I repeat the same words to you. Don’t lose hope, don’t give up on Nigeria. PDP is coming to the rescue,” he said.
“We have done fairly well in the byelections that have held across the country. If we competed on level-playing grounds, if INEC were resisted to external pressures and if security agents did not militarise some of the election’s environment, your great party – the PDP – would have done much better.
“The byelections serve as a very important point, they are a referendum on APC’s misrule. The outcomes of the elections show that Nigerians want us back in power. The reasons are obvious.
“Nigeria is now both the poverty capital of the world, also Nigeria is the third most terrorized country. The economy has collapsed, the government now prints or borrows money to pay salaries, unemployment is about 35 per cent, the government now shares sovereignty with terrorists.”
Senator Ayu encouraged the delegates and other Nigerians not to give up on the country, saying that things will get better if PDP returns to power.
He cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to be used by politicians to mar the integrity of the electoral process.
This is even as he appealed to security agencies not to interfere with the nation’s general elections.
