By Olukayode Babalola
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara says the 2019 general elections are neither about President Muhammadu Buhari nor his main challenger, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but a referendum on security and hunger.
Dogara stated this at the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential rally held in Lafia on Thursday.
Abubakar and his running mate on the PDP ticket, Mr Peter Obi, Senate President Bukola Saraki and PDP Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus, were in attendance at the rally.
Others at the event included PDP aspirants in the state and at the national level; as well as other PDP national and state stalwarts.
According to Dogara, the 2019 elections is a referendum about security and hunger because those are the main issues bothering the majority of Nigerians.
He said without effective security and adequate food for the common man, Nigeria would be shaken to the brink of collapse.
According to him, these two issues will have a heavy effect on proper governance and civility in the country.
He said the need for voters to critically examine and choose who was capable of handling the two critical issues in the country.
“If we do not rise up to the challenge, sooner than later we are not going to have a country.
“So it is our responsibility to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of insecurity because without security, we cannot even define democracy.
“’We need to rise up and vote in competent leaders who will lead us as a people to rescue our country from the clutches of insecurity; and you know if there is insecurity, there will be hunger.
“If there is hunger, insecurity follows. We have a duty to vote for leaders who are trustworthy and reliable.
“’That is why I call on you to vote Atiku Abubakar because he has the pedigree to lead Nigeria to greatness,” he said.
Dogara, however, added that the 2019 elections was also a referendum on education because education offered many opportunities for the teeming Nigerian youths.
“It also sharpens the intellect of voters to understand clearly what is good for their future and vote in people who have the capacity to make their lives better.
“If you want to destroy a community, state or nation, do not even fire shots, do not even bring nuclear bombs.
”All you need do is to lower the standard of education in that society and once you succeed in doing that, you have killed the nation.
“So many of us may not understand what I am talking about.
“So 2019 election is also a referendum on education,” Dogara said. (NAN)
