Engineer Yusuf Buhari, the running mate of Prince Adewole Adebayo, Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has said that the 2023 election is not about defeating other opposing parties.
Buhari said the election is beyond politics adding that “It is about who we are as a country and how we project the image of who we are to the rest of the world.”
He said these, on Monday, at a press conference organized ahead of the party’s rally in Ibadan, the state capital.
His words: “Let us be clear: this election is not first about defeating other opposing parties. This election is beyond politics. It is about who we are as a country and how we project the image of who we are to the rest of the world.
“I will be the first to admit that in recent years, there have been many moments when I have truly worried about our future.
“But again, in those moments of doubts, we must think of the Nigerian people: the gallant men in uniform who sacrifice their lives to maintain law and order and the dignity of our country, the frontline workers who continue to risk their lives to save others, the farmers who refuse to allow insurgents, bandits and kidnappers stop them from sustaining our human existence, and our numerous young men and women working diligently as entrepreneurs or sports people, on the national and global stages who have become a source of pride to Nigeria.
“They have fought the odds to become experts and winners. The SDP joins millions of patriotic Nigerians to salute you all.”
Buhari also spoke about some of the manifestos of the SDP while calling on the people of the state to support the candidates of the party.
He added that the challenges facing the country cannot be solved by those who created them. He said there’s a need for a new set of people and party to solve them.
His words: “Prince Adewole Adebayo’s vision for Nigeria draws inspiration from Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution which hammers on the fact that sovereignty belongs to the people and that the function of government is to cater to the welfare and security of the people. The SDP has always been about fighting poverty. Late MKO Abiola’s campaign slogan under the SDP was Hope ‘93 which rode on Farewell to Poverty. Today, Poverty has given birth to many children. The problematic of her children is Insecurity. As a result, our slogan for the upcoming elections is Hope Again 2023 and we ride on Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity.
“Fellow Nigerians, the SDP, when given the opportunity, will ensure social justices provide direction, protection and inspiration to all Nigerians. We will be honest in the process and win back the trust of Nigerians in leadership. We will ensure we put in place all necessary conditions to enable our population to prosper. We shall create equal opportunities for all.
“For employment, we plan to create 30million jobs from 2,000 US companies in Agric, Infrastructure, ICT, Education, Entertainment etc
“On Healthcare, we plan to build 1 Primary Healthcare Center in every ward in the country. We plan to adequately equip our General and Tertiary Hospitals. We plan to build world class hospitals to reverse the trend of health tourism, retain and grow our fx earnings.
“In education, we plan for free basic education at the primary level, and autonomy for our Universities. We also plan to build Federal Schools in all Federal Constituencies to ensure federal presence.
“For housing, we plan to build 100,000units of housing in every state annually.
“Towards ensuring food security, we will direct our efforts directly to the farmers and agro processors. We will stop the current system were friends of people in government who have no business with agriculture are the beneficiaries of governments’ efforts and in the Agric sector.
“We shall liberalize the economy and create a healthy and competitive environment for businesses to thrive. We will not be selling government assets. Instead, we shall encourage the private sector to set up their own businesses and compete in the same sectors with government companies. After all, what has come out from the other assets that were sold off by government.
“We shall return professionalism to the security sector. We will ensure that those engaged in managing our security are not business people. They must be interested in the job. We will also ensure that we return security access and enforcement directly at the grassroots.
“Nigeria and Nigerians matter. And when something matters to us, we do not destroy it. We cherish it, we nurture it, and we protect it.
“Progressively, every 4 years since 1999, we have watched our standard of living diminish and still the same people responsible for this decline are telling us that they can do in 4 years, or 8 years, what they failed to do in 24 years.
“We have been brought up to judge people based on what we see them do. And from what we have seen them do over the past 24 years, it will not be out of place to conclude that they have nothing more to offer.
“Please note that “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” in the first place. That means we can not use the same people to solve the problems they created in the same place.
“Failed leadership and failed political cultures can not give us the solutions we seek. Nigerians must realize this and arise to the critical challenge of the moment. We can do better for ourselves and our children. And we deserve better! “
