Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Friday said the blueprint on the development of the Niger Delta was his concept, but was not well implemented by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua-led administration.

Atiku said he drew the blueprint before he lost his 2007 presidential bid, but the Yar’Adua administration adopted the concept and started implementing it without having some other salient details.

He spoke in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, while addressing the All Progressives Congress delegates.

Atiku said part of the component of the master plan was the amnesty programme, the coast guard and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, among others.

He said, “I initiated the master plan for the Niger Delta but the late President Yar’Adua who tried to implement it started with the amnesty programme. The PDP government has not been able to implement the master plan because the party did not initiate it. I was not consulted so the party made some mistakes.

“The reason the policy on development of the Niger Delta is not working is that the people implementing it are not the originators. If I become President, I will be in a better position to implement it.

“You need a candidate who knows and understands your environment and will help you develop it. I will ensure that the master plan is implemented to the latter. I stand out because of my political experience. I have made more contributions than any of my contemporaries running for the position of the President.”

He appealed to delegates to give him a chance, adding that he was detribalised and would work for the common good of the country.