Turaki’s verdict: Buhari, APC have truncated vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers

Frontline Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential hopeful, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, (SAN), has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government of derailing from the vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers.
He made the accusation when he led his campaign team to meet with the Kwara State governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, at the Government House, Ilorin as part of his nationwide consultations ahead of the PDP presidential primary.
Turaki, who noted that the PDP administration of President Goodluck Jonathan left behind a booming private sector, with the economy rated as the number one in Africa and the third-fastest growing after China and Qatar on May 28, 2015, lamented: “Today, we are in economic doldrums. Today, the economy is witnessing disinvestment. No economic team or adviser for the first time in the country’s history. Today, things are being done intuitively. Today, Nigerians are hungry and angry, prompting them to be impatient and prone to provocation easily.”
The former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs lamented further that the country is so divided like never before with the heightened resurgence of ethnic self-determination, besides experiencing profound security problems.
“We cannot continue to run a nation where people feel discriminated against or feel alienated from access to opportunities,” he said further.
“This was not the intention of our founding fathers,” the Senior Advocate pointed out.
“That is why today,” Turaki said, “we are looking for a leader who will do things differently to halt the slide and ensure equity, fairness and justice for all.”
Turaki, who is known to have a close relationship with the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is also in the race, urged Kwarans to ensure that either him “or my brother (Bukola) get elected as President”.
Turaki said: “Both of us are well educated and accomplished professionals with vast knowledge. We have a lot of integrity, credibility, character and dynamism. If we look at our pedigree, we are impeccable. Both of us have conviction, fire of patriotism and nationalism. We are both bridge builders and above anything else, we have the fear of God.”
Ahmed, who noted that the country’s problems are due to structural or systemic deficiency, stressed that: “Nigeria needs to be repositioned to truly cater for its almost 200 million population of it wants to be recognized as the Giant of Africa.”
He said that the country was endowed with a vibrant youth population and diversity that ought to have been tapped beneficially.
At the Kwara State PDP secretariat in Ilorin, Turaki who labelled APC as ‘All Promises Cancelled’ for failing to keep its election promises to Nigerians, said that “we currently have a leader that has proven not to be in charge of his government.”
“It is better to replace him with someone else with integrity, knowledge, education, experience, dynamism, courage and the fear of God like me, who will truly be in charge,” Turaki advised.