By Eric Elezuo

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it is set to kick off its presidential campaign on Monday, December 3, 2018 in Sokoto.

The party made this known while addressing journalists on Friday.

In the address, the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the press is an integral part of the campaigns as everyone is involved in the business of ‘getting Nigeria working again’ through desseminating the information to the ‘nooks and crannies of the country’.

While informing that the PDP will be issue based, the senate president said that areas that will be attended to while the campaign lasts include questions on the state of affairs in 2015 and now in relation to security, economy and other sundry areas.

Below is the full statement of the presidential council:

1. Welcome representatives of the Nigerian media to the inaugural press interactive session by the Presidential Campaign Council. Also, solicit the support of the media on this journey of Getting Nigeria Working Again.

2. As you will all agree with me, the issues confronting Nigerians today are beyond partisan consideration. We are all in it together and that is why we need the support of this media in this all-important project of saving our country and getting her working again.

3. STRUCTURE OF THE CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION AND PROGRAMME. The campaign council has been inaugurated. We are commencing our campaigns on Monday in Sokoto. Thereafter, we are going to take our message to all the 36 States and the FCT, the 774 LGAs and all the wards in the federation.

4. As part of our grassroots campaign plan, the candidate and his running mate will participate in road shows, Town Hall meetings, special interactive sessions with traditional institutions, business communities, professional groups, trade unions, market women and men and other interest groups and stakeholders across the nation.

5. In effectively implementing the campaign Programme, the following individuals have been appointed to head the 13 directorates in our structure (PROVIDE LIST). Each directorate will be supported by corresponding standing committees which will be inaugurated shortly. This arrangement will ensure that we are able to bring in more members to contribute their quota to the success of the campaign.

6. Again, we are in the process of inaugurating the state campalign Organisation in line with the structure at the National Campaign Headquarters. These state structures will be inaugurated by my office shortly. You will agree with me that a lot of elaborate planning has gone into creating the campaign structure in such a way that we will our message to every home in Nigeria and even to Nigerians in Diaspora.

7. ISSUES: For Nigerians, in 2019, the issues that have to be addressed are :

a) Is the economy better or worse?
b) Are more people richer or poorer than they were in 2015?
c) Are there more people suffering from hunger now than in 2015?
d) Have there been more job losses now than in 2015?
e) Are our people safer now than they were in 2015?
f) Are our military and other security agencies better equipped or motivated to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges than in 2015?
g) Is the country more united now than it was in 2015?
h) Is the infrastructure in the country better than it was in 2015?
I) Is there less corruption in the country than in 2015?; Is the fight against been fair to all or a tool deployed against political opponents?
j) Are people deriving the benefits of the Rule of Law and personal liberty as enshrined in the constitution now than in 2015?

8. These are some of the issues that will determine the trend of the campaign and we believe they should guide Nigerians in making their decisions during the 2019 elections. An election is a referendum on the incumbent. If Nigerians are unable to answer any of these questions positively, they must vote out the incumbent.

9. In 2015, many of us did not ask the pertinent questions and the nation is paying dearly for this today. We should not repeat the same error in 2019.

10. On our part, we will restrict ourselves to issue-based campaign, despite the fact that we are not unmindful that a government that has very little achievements to show will dwell on the mundane.

11. Thank you

Signed

Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON
DIrector General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council