Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has promised to tackle insecurity and improve the nation’s economy if elected president during the 2023 general elections.
Lawan, a presidential aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) gave the pledge while addressing party delegates from the South-East zone in Owerri on Tuesday.
He said having served as Senate Majority Leader, he possessed the knowledge of governance and was willing to build on the successes achieved in being closer to President Muhammadu Buhari as senate president.
“I am from the North East where security challenges have reduced drastically, but there are still some challenges to tackle.
“Secondly, we must continue to work for the improvement of our economy to be more productive and more inclusive.
“Small-scale traders must have some support; MSMEs must be supported to sustain their businesses, while employment opportunities must be created for the youth,” he said.
Lawan said that he would love to see a situation where more women and youths played major roles in governance and in growing the country’s economy.
He advocated for a national integration policy and national cohesion to ensure fairness and access to social, economic and political opportunities.
According to him, most of the time, the crisis and conflicts being witnessed now are about resource distribution and the opportunities available to everyone.
“I believe that we must continue to work for national integration and give everyone a sense of belonging.
“I want to assure you that a vote for me is a vote for stability, progress and stability in our country,” he said.
The senate president commended Gov. Hope Uzodimma for ensuring that APC was rooted in the South-East zone and for ensuring that the zone was in the mainstream of politics in the country.
In his remarks, Uzodimma prayed for the president to be guided by a succession plan that would favour national demography.
“The delegates have cried for a very long time against not giving recognition and relevance to the South-East.
“That is why I am almost certain that they will not be influenced by money but to do that which will attract to our people national relevance,” he added.
Uzodimma described Lawan as a “detribalised Nigerian”, noting that he epitomised hope for Nigeria.
He added that the North-East and South-East zones were related in terms of marginalisation.
