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Protest As Okowa Represents Atiku
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Tinubu Says Campaign Schedules ‘Busy.., Hectic’
After an initial melodrama, a presidential Town hall meeting in preparation for the 2023 elections held late Sunday at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, with the theme centered on security and economy.
The town hall series organised by Arise TV and the Centre for Democracy and Development kicked off with three of the five candidates invited for the first edition in attendance. While two others: Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar shunned the live talk show.
Atiku, however, sent his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state to represent him on the account that he was not in the country. Tinubu, who was absent and failed to send a representative, has since gave reasons behind his no-show.
The presidential candidates present were Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). There are 18 presidential candidates in the race, The New Diplomat reports.
The debate was stalled initially due to the protests from the supporters of NNPP, LP and the PRP, who were unhappy with Atiku’s absence as they heckled Okowa and PDP sympathisers — including Atiku’s campaign strategist, Dino Melaye — insisting the event was meant for presidential candidates only and not running mates.
However, Okowa, in his response said his principal was out of the country for campaign purposes.
Meanwhile, speaking on his plans to tackle insecurity in the country, Atiku through his representative harped on intelligence gathering and sharing among the security agencies.
Okowa also noted that the decentralisation of the police is key to tightening the country’s security system.
He said, “We need to emphasise coordinated intelligence gathering and sharing. We need more boots on the ground to address insecurity in Nigeria. We need to evolve policing in Nigeria to ensure that people who have a better understanding of their areas, know how to secure their areas. One centralized police force is unable to meet the demands that we have.
“We need more boots on the ground. We need adequate welfare to ensure that our security agencies are better-taken care of. We also need to address unemployment, otherwise, more young people will be drawn to contribute to the insecurity. Technically, it is very important but the equipment is few. The men in boots must be well trained and paid.”
Also, Obi, while commenting on the Kaduna train attack said the attack was as a result of intelligence failure.
The former Anambra governor said the security agencies “ignored” warning signs and information of a possible attack of such magnitude.
Obi said: “I believe there was a failure of intelligence processing. Because before it happened, from information available, there were already reports of insecurity on the corridor, as well as previous attempts that were ignored.”
He further stated that insecurity would have been reduced to the barest minimum if more people were taken out of poverty.
“I have said consistently that the more people you put out of poverty, the more you reduce the criminality that is in the country,’’ he argued.
Speaking on the terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train and abduction of passengers, Kwankwaso recalled how the Olusegun Obasanjo administration under which he served as minister of defence secured every part of Nigeria and went ahead to restore peace in other African countries.
In his words, “As a former Minister of Defence, I can assure you that the situation should not have been allowed. I am sure you remember that recently we unveiled our blueprint, and in our blueprint, we made it very clear that the number of military that we have today, which is about 250,000, is grossly inadequate.
“Therefore, we have made adequate arrangements to have about one million military – Army, Air Force and Navy. With that, we believe we are going to take over every square metre of our land in this country. Police are about 230,000 at the moment; we also want to raise it to about one million; put together the SSS, Civil Defence and other security agencies. Within a very short period of time, we should be able to be in charge of our land.
“We will be very willing to dialogue with anybody; anybody with grudges in any part of the country, our government will sit down with them and dialogue. At the end of the day, anybody who decides to think otherwise, definitely, the law will take its course.”
Kwankwaso further pledged to improve national security by encouraging willing youth corps members to join the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
He said, “Some of us who are extended family members of the security in this country are very much worried and concerned, and sometimes even ashamed that today, in 2022, security agencies could not identify locations of terrorists, especially when everybody including the criminals are using telephones, and these telephones are not difficult to identify, and these are the problems.”
The PRP candidate, Abiola, in his address said his administration will weed out recycled and failed politicians when elected into office.
Abiola described himself as the best man for Nigeria’s top job, saying the citizens need a breath of fresh air with someone who has no record of holding public office in the country.
He said, “We are coming to the federal level with a clean slate because we are not carrying the baggage of any administration or any party. We want to use that to turn Nigeria around and fight for the people.
“I never run for governor, state chairman or local government council. The point I am trying to make is that the leadership has tried over the years; so many recycled and different people every time. The leaders stay in one party or they jump parties.
“But for the first time, we have a candidate here in PRP that hasn’t been there or any party at all. Let us try a fresh hand to solve Nigeria’s problem. Now, security is an issue.
“We represent what it means to be fresh, especially what it takes to ensure that the ones coming behind us have an opportunity to decide their own destinies in a united Nigeria.”
Explaining Tinubu’s no-show at the town hall meeting, the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, in a statement by its Chief Spokesman, Mr Festus Keyamo, said their presidential candidate missed the presidential debate because the event clashed with his engagements with agro-farmers in Minna, Niger State capital.
“Tinubu did not attend the Presidential Debate organised by ARISE TV on Sunday, November 6, 2022, for the following reasons:
“Firstly, many radio and TV networks in Nigeria have indicated interests to host such debates and out of deference to other TV and radio stations, our candidate will not be making selective appearances in some networks, whilst ignoring others. As President of Nigeria, by the Special Grace of God, he intends to treat all persons and businesses fairly and equally.
“Secondly, the busy and hectic campaign schedules of Asiwaju Tinubu will not permit him to honour all such invitations by different radio and TV networks, hence our decision for him not to start with one TV station and later ignore others.
“Thirdly, our candidate had long before now realised the importance of speaking directly to Nigerians and shortly after unfolding his Action Plan as President embarked on Town Hall meetings beginning with his interaction with the Business Community and other stakeholders in Kano followed by the Town Hall meeting and presentation by experts last week in Lagos. “Tomorrow (Monday), he will be interacting with Agro and Commodity Groups in Minna, Niger State.
“Whilst we thank Arise TV for the invitation, we want to assure Nigerians that we shall continue to hold these debate groups and Nigerians in high esteem. Nigerians will hear from our candidate loud and clear through other forums,” the statement reads.
