Buhari/Osinbajo, Nigeria’s best bet for 2019 – Group

A group, Liberty Movement (LM), on Wednesday said the Muhammadu Buhari/Yemi Osinbajo joint ticket remained the only option to guarantee Nigeria’s continued progress in 2019.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Sola Ajayi, said this at the launch of the group’s “30 million Votes for Buhari Campaign” in Lagos.

He said the Buhari administration had recorded phenomenal achievements in the last three years, to put the country on the right course of sustainable development.

Ajayi said that Buhari/Osinbajo would do much more to reposition the country for greatness, urging Nigerians to vote them in 2019 for a secure future.

“The coming election is about the future of Nigeria, it is about the future of young people, old people, men, the armed and the defenseless.

“We wish to let you know that if we do not do the right thing in 2019, history will not be kind to us.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has recorded remarkable achievements on the three-pronged promises of security, anti-corruption war and economy on which his campaigns were based.

“In the area of the economy, to us, in the midst of dwindling economic fortunes, Buhari and Osinbajo have been able to show some considerations in managing the situation,’’ Ajayi said.

He added: “It is true that many Nigerians have lost their jobs, but we should not forget that this is not unconnected with the meltdown occasioned by falling oil prices.

“We should also not forget that the impact of corruption of 16 years cannot be wished away in one day.

“It should not be difficult how and what Nigeria would have been if the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had won in 2015. Buhari has done well to manage the economy.

“In the area of security, there are still challenges though, it will be wrong to wish away the achievements of Buhari/Osinbajo in this area in the last three and half years.

“The anti-graft war has been fierce under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Buhari with about 700 convictions.

“We believe the Buhari/Osinbajo is the best bet for Nigeria in 2019 to deliver much more dividends of democracy.”

Ajayi said the rise of the country’s foreign reserve of less than 30 billion dollars to the present level of over 45 billion dollars under Buhari was worthy of note.

He added that the phenomenal growth in agriculture, occasioned by initiatives like Anchor’s Borrower’s Programme for farmers pointed to Buhari’s commitment to sustainable development.

He said the Social Intervention Programmes of Buhari and projects like Lagos-Ibadan railway, Kano-Katsina-Jibiya Mardi railway and Port-Harcourt rail project, were some of the efforts that had made the present government impactful.

He said the group was impressed with the achievements of the present government and its integrity, and that it had endorsed the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket for 2019.

Ajayi said that the group launched the “36 million votes for Buhari Campaign” to mobilise massive votes for the president’s emphatic victory in 2019.

“The Liberty Movement was established in 2013, as a mass movement to engage the democratic process. We are present in 31 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

“Our mission is to ensure to the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari with a wide margin, possibly the highest in the history of elections in Nigeria.

“To achieve our 30 million votes for Buhari, we have divided ourselves into six zones in the country and our members shall be involved in constructive engagement of people on why it is in Nigeria’s interest for him to be re-elected.

“We will embark on house-to-house campaign, creek mobilisation, market visits, road shows, target religious houses, youths and women as part of our strategy.

“We will target people with PVCs, who had shunned previous elections to come out for Buhari. The president has done well, we will work hard for his re-election,” he said.

Ajayi urged Nigerians to reject the PDP in 2019 in order not to take the country back to `the locust years’.