Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the credential of national inclusivity, not ethnicity should be an ideal that the northern part of the county should examine in electing a new president for the country in the 2023 elections.
Atiku made the remarks when he featured as a guest of the Arewa Joint Committee interactive sessions with various presidential candidates of political parties on Saturday in Kaduna.
He noted that with a political career that spans more than three decades, he stands shoulder high as a northerner who has built bridges of unity across the country.
He said: “I have been in politics for more than three decades and I am a Northerner. So, if you ask me why I am the best candidate to lead Nigeria in 2023, I will simply say that what Nigeria needs is a pan-Nigerian president, not whether he is Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa-Fulani”.
The session, which took place at the Arewa House, was attended by high-ranking leaders of various North-based socio-cultural bodies.
Atiku, while delivering his speech at the event, highlighted the key policy agendas which he seeks to pursue if elected president to include promoting national unity through deliberate actions that will secure mutual trust and confidence amongst all tendencies.
The other policy areas the former vice-president enumerated are reforms in education, agriculture and reversing the economic downturn of the country.
