By Kolawole Ojebisi
A former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to learn how to hold their leaders accountable in 2025 for the year to be better than 2024 which is winding up in few hours.
This is as the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections congratulated Nigerians on making it alive to the New Year 2025.
He urged Nigerians to unite in pursuit of good governance and be resolute in holding their leaders accountable at all times.
Atiku said this in a new year message he personally signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday.
He expressed optimism that that the New Year would usher in an era of “heightened public awareness, a time when every Nigerian must stand vigilant, closely observing the actions and decisions of their political leaders.”
He explained that 2025 presents an opportunity to “reshape and redefine the national dialogue,” urging citizens to actively participate in safeguarding the principles of democracy.
Atiku reminded Nigerians that the New Year is a new chapter brimming with possibilities and calls for “all citizens to remain resolute in ensuring that political leaders, at every level of government, are held accountable and that no one wields unchecked power that could lead to the erosion of liberties and further exploitation of public office.”
“The trials of the past year have only served to fortify our faith. Our unshakable belief in divine protection has been our guiding light, and it is this same spirit of unwavering faith that will continue to propel us forward in the coming year,” he said.
Atiku implored all Nigerians to nurture the shared hopes of collective prosperity, saying, “We must ensure that the power entrusted to those in leadership is never abused and that the claws of an overreaching government are firmly restrained.”
Atiku urged Nigerians to be watchful in the New Year, and guard against any encroachment on the public good and the fundamental rights of the people.
He particularly prayed for a revitalization of the national economy so that Nigerians may breathe freely once more, liberated from the “suffocating grip of economic hardship.”
Atiku said “Nigerians must unite in the pursuit of good governance, standing resolute against any efforts by the ruling elite to divide the nation along religious and ethnic lines.
“As we celebrate the divine favor that allows us to witness the beginning of this New Year, let us not forget our fellow countrymen who were not so fortunate, those whose lives were claimed by the relentless storms of daily hardships that have long plagued Nigeria.”
