smile4kenn:

Abubakar made the allegation at the opening of his campaign headquarters in Abuja.

He said that the weapons were bought to suppress the Niger Delta people instead of embarking on the development of the region.

He said that Niger Delta was being degraded by oil exploitation and that the area deserved special attention.

He added that if the $2bn had been used to develop the region, militants in the area would give up violence.

He said, “Just a few weeks ago, this government approved over $2bn to buy weapons, not to develop the Niger Delta, but to suppress the people of the region.

“If we channel this kind of amount into the development of the Niger Delta, nobody in the region will want to carry arms.

“Our people are not asking for too much. All they ask for are universally recognised human rights, the right to life, the right to good education, the right to freedom of expression, the right to jobs, the right to decent living, especially those whose environment is being ravaged by the exploitation of natural resources such as those in the Niger Delta.”

Abubakar, whose two-page address was spiced with extemporaneous remarks, also asked Nigerians not to vote for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Umaru Yar‘Adua.

He said that endorsement of Yar’Adua would amount to voting President Olusegun Obasanjo back to power.

The VP added, “We must work hard to ensure that elections do take place as scheduled. Let us also work with our people to ensure that they cast their votes and ensure that their votes count.

“We must stop in their tracks those who want to bring back the evil third term or life presidency through the back door.

“They have amended their party‘s constitution so that the President will be the life leader of the party and the life leader of the government. So, if you vote the PDP again, you are voting Obasanjo. Don‘t vote for him, don‘t vote PDP. Nigeria belongs to all of us.”

http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200701312191654

Mariory:

This the same person that requested gun boats from China when America refused to provide the weapons unconditionally. Why is this guy so desperate to be president?

http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?page=2&queryText=Atiku&y=8&aje=false&id=060228001088&x=11
"Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's vice-president, told the Financial Times the US had been too slow to help protect the oil-rich Niger Delta from a growing insurgency. He said talks with the US over security plans for the region did not "appear to be moving as fast as the situation is unfolding" and Nigeria was instead sourcing military equipment elsewhere."

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-5553.32.html
"Meanwhile, the Federal Government has turned to China for military hardware to protect oil facilities in the troubled Niger Delta.

The recourse to China for arms, according to Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, follows the failure of the United States to help Nigeria in protecting the oil sector.

Abubakar, in an interview with the Financial Times, published on Monday, said the US had been too slow in assisting in protecting the Niger Delta from the spate of attacks by militants."

donnymikky:

Atiku why not resign for God sake and fight this battle if indeed you believe you have the strenght to do so. You can never fight a government of which you are part. I know you will never resign because of the immunity you enjoy so that EFCC, ICPC, and co will not have the legal right to arrest and probe you. Atiku,if you can't be a leader, why not be a follower abi na by force to rule Nigeria!!

He is not getting his way, so he'd rather see Nigeria burn. Simple as that.
He is a selfish , cunning , desperately greedy , characterless fraud! He certainly has no love for Nigeria. His only interest lies in the inner  lining of his oversized pocket.

Orikinla:

Atiku is now reformed since he left the PDP.