"It is time to return Nigeria to PDP," Atiku says Nigeria was at its best between 1999 and 2015

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, believes Nigeria was at its best during the 16-year reign of the PDP unlike during the past three years under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former vice president said this after his north-central campaign rally in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday, December 5, 2018. The PDP won the presidency during the return of democracy in 1999 and led Nigeria through three presidents before losing the Presidential Villa to President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in 2015.

Taking to his Twitter account on Wednesday, the candidate noted that the current government has failed its promises to improve the nation and urged Nigerians to hand power back to the PDP.

He said, "Today we have listened to the failures of the APC government since 2015 till today. There is nothing they have not promised us, they promised us security, jobs and better economy, they failed. Whatever they promised, they failed.

"It is time to return Nigeria to PDP, because the best years of this country was when the PDP was governing our country from 1999-2015.

"In terms of corruption, Nigeria is worse of today than we were in 2014. In terms of economy, we are the poorest country in the world today. In terms of insecurity, we are most insecure than at any other time in our history."

The candidate further accused the APC of buying votes in a desperate bid to retain power and urged Nigerians to not sell the country's future.

"This is what the APC are doing. They are buying PVCs, they will come to you and give you N10, N20, N50 to buy your PVC - they are buying your future. Do you want to sell your future? Don't sell your PVCs because they are going to use it against you," he said.

2019 presidential election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (left) and President Muhammadu Buhari (right) ece-auto-gen

While next year's election, scheduled for February 16, 2019, is expected to be keenly-contested between Atiku and President Buhari, they both face competition from other candidates including Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Obiageli Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Others are Tope Fasua of the Abundance Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Eunice Atuejide of the National Interest Party (NIP), Adesina Fagbenro-Byron of the Kowa Party (KP), Chike Ukaegbu of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Hamza Al-Mustapha of the People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), Obadiah Mailafia of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and many more.