FRONTLINE PDP presidential Aspirant, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has warned against actions that may cause the breakdown of laws and order in Nigeria, and truncate the country’s democracy. He urged Nigerians not to allow anybody to plunge the country’ in deeper chaos.
Turaki, who is also a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, gave the warning in Calabar on Monday, while addressing the Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, members of the state’s executive council and some leaders, as part of his nationwide consultations to actualise his presidential aspiration.
Citing the recent attack on the National Assembly and the commando-styled arrests of judges for unsubstantiated allegations of corruption as cases in point, he condemned the APC-controlled government for its serial undemocratic behaviours.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also chastised the ruling party for its cluelessness in handling the economy and national security as well as its open discrimination against the citizens.
“Nigerians and other opposition political parties are waiting for PDP,” he said, “to take up the mandate of spearheading a rescue mission for the people.”
He, therefore, urged the PDP to elect the best out of its eminently-qualified aspirants seeking the party’s mandate.
“We need a person with no perception of corruption- a person with integrity, credibility, knowledge, education, dynamism, experience and the fear of God. Such a person must exude trust among the people and be courageous in taking decisions in the overall interest of the nation.”
He promised that if given the opportunity, his government will be faithful and honest to Nigerians, build critical infrastructure, revamp the economy and also address youth unemployment and the principle of restructuring holistically.
Governor Ayade who noted that the greatest asset of a nation is the quantum of knowledge it can boast of and not its resources praised Turaki for having a grasp of ‘the dialectics and connectivity with the nation’s problems and the required solutions.’
“I have no doubt in my mind that you will deliver,” Ayade said.
The governor who also outlined numerous achievements by his administration in terms of development further highlighted some challenges which required the intervention of the federal government.
These included the removal of Cross River State from the Derivation Principle leading to insufficient revenue, the security problems posed by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Cameroon and other issues associated with those seeking self-determination in that country.
The presidential aspirant extended his consultations to the secretariat of the state PDP chapter whose chairman, Ntufam Edim Inok Edim described him as “a very, very outstanding person.”