By Tony Edike

ENUGU – FORMER military leader and Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC,  Major General Muhammadu Buhari, (rtd) has said  that the enthronement of solid foundation for the economic restoration of the country was his cardinal objective, just as he pledged to ensure the actualization of Nigerian President of Igbo extraction by 2015.

He assured that he would rule for a single term of four years that would terminate in 2015 if elected and declared his utmost desire to hand power over to a President of Igbo extraction on that date.

According to the former military leader,  his interest in politics was to salvage the battered economy of the country, which he noted  has been on daily decline.

He added that the most unfortunate thing that has happened to the democracy of the country in the past eleven years was the ascendancy to power by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying that  Nigeria would  have developed beyond its present level if it had the right person as leader.

Speaking at a rally in Enugu, Buhari stated that he has come to fix Nigeria, urging the people to give him only four years to do so and return power to the southeast zone in the spirit of rotation and oneness.

*Buhari

The CPC presidential flag bearer, whose speech was read by the Secretary, Contact and Mobilization Committee of the party, Chief Osita Okechukwu said that the southeast zone deserves a shot at the highest political office in the country being a major party in the quest for the independence of the country.

He said, “I am committed in laying solid foundation in four years and will make sure that the dream of Ndigbo of becoming president in 2015 is actualized. We of the CPC, our word is our Bond, We hate vague promises, and the Change we propose is Progressive Change, Progressive Change for Common Good.

“To translate our words into action we humbly solicit for your support, solidarity and most importantly your noble votes in the 2011 presidential election. We appeal to every eligible Nigerian to register, vote and protect your vote. We must protect our votes so as to hold our leaders accountable; for your vote is your power.

“By the grace of God and your support, if elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we will revive our decayed infrastructure, Restructure our Federation and renew our Faith in Nigeria,” he said.

To him, to revive the decayed infrastructure, the citizenry must  wage War Against Corruption; stop the criminal looting of  the commonwealth, going on every day at every level of government and recover billions that had been siphoned.

Buhari  added that various studies conducted have shown that between 1999 and 2009, over N50 trillion was shared to the three tiers of government – Federal, State and Local Councils, expressing regrets however, that infrastructure of the country has remained in terrible state of decay.

The CPC presidential aspirant said:  “A cursory review shows that most of the Federal roads awarded from 2001 to date remain uncompleted:- Agege – Ota – Abeokuta, Owerri – Onitsha, Gombe – Maiduguri, Lagos – Benin, Kano – Maiduguri, Ilorin – Ibadan, Lokoja – Abuja etc. In the period under review, adequate budget was made for the road project, duly appropriated and the money fleeced.