Atiku ‘ll make 2019 general election interesting- Bakare

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Senior Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly and Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Tunde Bakare says the emergence of Atiku will surely make the 2019 presidential election an interesting one.

Reacting to Atiku’s emergence as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Bakare said both Atiku and President Muhammadu Buhari enjoy almost equal degree of acceptance from Nigerians.

Congratulating Atiku on his emergence, Bakare said the emergence of Atiku was a welcome development as it meant the battle for the presidency would be a tough contest between him and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“He was Vice-President for eight years, and he inherited something from late Yaradua that he had held on to so effectively. He has been a businessman with a business acumen and he has the exposure.

“But you see, that is not what qualifies you to win. A lot comes into play, so again, I cannot say whether he will win or lose,” he said.

Bakare said for the PDP to win the 2019 elections, they would need to demonstrate to the electorate that they were a regenerated party and “show repentance for the years of the locust they engineered”.

He added that the opposition party had to convince Nigerians that they would not return to corruption, which he said was the way of life during its rule, to win the confidence of the electorate.

On the chances of APC, Bakare said though the government was trying its best, there was the need for them to do much more to win the next election. He said the country was facing a lot of challenges which the government needed to offer solutions to, in order to fast track pace of development.

The cleric said that performance and policies, and not necessarily incumbency factor, would guarantee victory for the APC in 2019. The SNG convener said his comments about the Buhari’s administration from the beginning, should not be interpreted to mean he was attacking the government, but he was just raising issues needing attention.

“I didn’t take any swipe at the administration of President Buhari. What I have always said is that despite the acclaimed progress in the country, Nigerians are not feeling the impact in their homes.

“That does not mean the government is not working. Look at the groanings of the people, the government still has to do a lot more before the 2019 elections. They have to work harder to assure Nigerians that they are really up to the task of listening to their yearnings and aspirations.

“The purpose of government is the welfare and security of people. Take that from the equation, then governance means nothing,” he said.