Voter card is your gun, Buhari tells Nigerians

Voter card is your gun, Buhari tells Nigerians

•El-Rufai: I won’t demolish houses, if elected
Former Head of State and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC), describing it as their “gun to sack incompetent leaders in 2015”.
Gen. Buhari spoke in Kaduna at a rally, where former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nasir el-Rufai formally declared his interest in the governorship seat.
He said: “Your card is your gun against incompetence in government and deception. We have suffered enough. You know what it takes to repair Nigeria, especially as regards infrastructure, security and employment. Let us get the infrastructure working; let’s get security materially, physically and morally.”
On el-Rufai, Gen. Buhari said Kaduna people would be doing themselves a great favour, if they elect the former minister as their governor.
He said: “I developed cold feet to come and present el-Rufai to you because of the sacrifices he wanted to make on my behalf, which I turned down. He insisted that I must contest and I told him that if I must contest he must also contest, because I believe he has the qualities required to make Kaduna State great again. These qualities are competence, integrity and courage.
“I have seen the way el-Rufai handled Abuja and we know he loves this country. He is endowed with the three qualities I have mentioned, so I assure you that if you vote for el-Rufai, you won’t be doing him a favour, but would be doing yourselves a favour. I am not being arrogant; I am just being honest.
“El-Rufai is the kind of person that will respect you if you respect yourself, and if you don’t respect yourself, he will help you go down the drain. I am here to ask for your support and understanding for el-Rufai and myself.”
El-Rufai promised not to demolish houses, if elected governor.
He said: “For those worrying about the demolitions that took place in Abuja, I assure you that Kaduna and Abuja are different in history, growth and priorities. We did what needed to be done in Abuja to make it a true national capital. In contrast, what Kaduna needs are better schools, health facilities and productive farms in an atmosphere of improved peace and security. That will be the focus of the APC, not the scaremongering of impending demolitions.
“We shall foster an environment of security of life and property by tackling the roots of intolerance and communal violence. We shall make a priority of transparent governance and improved service delivery by re-energising and empowering the public service. We shall rebuild and expand water supply, rural electrification and roads.
“Our government will invest in our people by improving capacity and delivery in health, education and social welfare. We shall energetically promote agriculture and food security, while implementing land reform as a basis for wealth creation and capital formation.
“The APC Kaduna Team will implement reforms that will create a transparent and responsible local government system that is properly funded, autonomous and technically-strengthened to be responsive and capable of delivering services at the grassroots. We are poised to take advantage of our state’s proximity to Abuja by developing new towns in locations neighbouring the FCT.
“We are at a crossroads of risks and opportunities in our nation and our state. The choice we make in 2015 will determine whether our nation succeeds or fails. We believe we can make Kaduna great again. I ask for your support so that we can make it happen together.