Bukola Saraki, Senate President, has
predicted that Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s President, will not attended
the presidential debate billed for to hold January 19.
Mr Saraki stated this at an event on Thursday while speaking to some Civil Society Organisations in Abuja.
Atiku
Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) is also scheduled to address the CSOs at the event.
“I am
told that one has debated and you already know the answer to that
debate. On the second one, I am very sure he is not going to debate. So
how do you assess somebody who is not ready to tell you what he is going
to do?” the top lawmaker queried.
Saraki said gone are the days where presidential candidates are not properly scrutinized before being elected.
“Those
days are gone, my good people. The future of this country, a country
that leads the continent that is not the example we want to set for this
continent.
“The whole world is going in a direction, if you are
seeking a position, you must come and tell people what you want to do,
you must sit down and they will ask you questions and that is why we are
here.
“Today is your day, we will sit down and take questions. I
hope at the end of this exercise, you will stand up and say yes, this
is the team that will secure Nigeria; this is the team that will unite
Nigeria; this is the team that will fight the poverty in town and bring a
bright future,” he said.
2019 BUDGET HOPELESS
Saraki also took a swipe at the 2019 budget presented to the National Assembly by the president.
He described the document as one that is hopeless with no clear direction.
“We
all heard the 2019 budget. That is a budget that has no hope for
anybody because when you look at the statistics and the figures, there
is poverty. If you look at the figures based on revenues that are coming
in, there is nothing left, so where is the future?” Saraki further
queried.
“There must be an alternative and that is what we hope
that by this evening, speaking to our candidate and vice presidential
candidate, is not based on sentiments. We are not voting on sentiments
we are voting on what is in it for you.
“How is your life going
to be better? Which party offers you a better future because we see you
as those who are patriotic and committed? It’s not about what you will
get today. It is about this great country. A lot of you have been making
sacrifices over the years,” he said.
