I will rescue Chibok schoolgirls from their hideout –Buhari

Presidential candi­date of the All Pro­gressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, yes­terday alleged that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rule in the last 16 years has sentenced of the country to underdevelopment.

This was just as he prom­ised to rescue the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls if elected president.

Although he contended that the period had been that of oil boom, he insisted that the na­tion had little to show for the huge resources that came its way.

Buhari made the observa­tion when he received rep­resentatives of 14 political parties, under the umbrella of Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COP3), who sought his assistance in the entrenchment of democracy in the country.

The parties included Peo­ples Democratic Movement (PDM), African Peoples Alli­ance (APA), KOWA Party, So­cial Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hope Democratic Party, Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), United Peoples Party (UPP), Accord Party, Independent Democratic (ID), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Action Alliance (AA) and All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said: “We appreciate the stage we are in our politi­cal development. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sentenced us to underdevelop­ment. We challenge the PDP, let them account for their stay in power for 16 years of rulership, in terms of the fun­damental objectives we have been talking about, in the three most important aspects we have been talking about- in the areas of security, economy and corruption.

“We have been very con­sistent about these issues, but people who are sitting on the periphery have kept on mak­ing noise and wasting our time. Let them come and de­fend themselves in what they have done in the last 16 years with the incredible resources they made within this period.

“The incredible resources this country realized within this period, are much more than what the country made since the amalgamation in 1914. If you go and get this record from the Central Bank, the type of money we made in the last 16 years, we have never made it before. We used to have Nigeria Airways, Ni­geria Shipping Line, Nigeria Railways, etc. But what do we have now? Nothing. Look at the state of our naira. Now you have to get over N220 for a dollar. How can we develop under this system?

Buhari thanked the group, expressing the hope that the coming elections would be credible.

“I honestly appreciate how you arrived at this decision to co-operate with us in this elec­tion. This decision is very pa­triotic. We have to appreciate the stage we are in. We have to realize that we can save the system and our country if we come together. So, we do ap­preciate the role you are play­ing right now. Our survival as a nation depends on our com­ing together and insisting that there must be free, fair and credible elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, unveiling their mission, the Chairman of the group and National Chair­man of PDM, Bashiru Yusuf Ibrahim, said their objectives included mobilising Nigerians to play greater role in political activities in the country and ensuring they were given the right to elect their leaders in a free, fair and credible electoral process.