Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says if he wins the 2019 election, he
will investigate the arms procurement of the current administration.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, Abubakar said it is
taking too long to defeat the Boko Haram insurgents.
“Eight years after, Nigerian government is still fighting Boko Haram that
are not professionally trained,” he said.
“I want to be the president of Nigeria because I would be able to do
things I could not do as vice president. I will investigate how the
government was unable to defeat Boko Haram for years. I will also
investigate the procurement of arms bought by this administration.”
He also vowed to tackle corruption, accusing the government of Buhari of
protecting some persons who ought to be prosecuted.
“If Nigerians can recall, we initiated the Economic and Financial (Crimes)
Commission (EFCC). I’m the person that sourced for the takeoff funds for
the EFCC,” he said.
“In this administration, there are people who are untouchable, they are
doing things that are not in order but they are being shielded by the
government. If elected Nigeria’s president, my administration will not
spare anybody. When I was in power, none of my relatives or friends was
found wanting.”
He said before he left the All Progressives Congress (APC), he warned
Buhari that he would quit if the party was not restructured.
Abubakar resigned his membership of the ruling party in November and
returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he served as the
nation’s number two citizen for eight years.
He said after the 2015 election, he met Buhari and advised him on the
running of his government but that the president failed to heed his
warning or implement his advice.
“The APC started on a wrong footing after President Buhari assumed
office,” Abubakar said.
“After 2015 general election, I met the president and told him the
activities of the party had been crippled and there was a need for
restructuring.
“Also, the way the government was being run; I made my suggestions but it
seemed they were deemed not important to them. I said to him, if things
continued like this, I will quit but Buhari ignored it.”