2023: Atiku optimistic of securing Obasanjo, Wike, other’s support

Recall that Obasanjo recently said he is yet to have a preferred candidate after a meeting with former military heads of state, Ibrahim Babagida and Abdusalami Abubakar.

But addressing journalists in Asaba, spokesman for Atiku, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the former president would support Atiku as the only candidate with the blueprint to rescue the country.

Aniagwu who is the Commissioner for Information in Delta State also expressed confidence that aggrieved leaders of the party including Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and others would not abandon the PDP in the coming elections, noting that Atiku has intensified efforts for reconciliation.

“I like to recall and refer you to what happened in 2019, Obasanjo supported Atiku very well, and 2019 was the last election, Atiku was more or less Obasanjo’s candidate for 2019. So if he supported him that much, I don’t think anything has changed between then and now.

“I can tell you in confidence that the same God who led him (Obasanjo) to support Atiku in 2019 is still very much alive and will lead him to know that Atiku has what it takes to rescue our country from where we are at the moment.

“We believe that Obasanjo means well for our country, he has demonstrated it in so many ways. He chose Atiku as running mate in 1999 against all odds even when Atiku had won as governor in Adamawa State.

“He did not go for those who contested with him, but he saw a man who was detribalised and those things he saw are still very much around. We are quite optimistic that Obasanjo will in the interest of the country and in line with his patriotic ideals support Atiku,” he said.

According to him, Governor Wike and other aggrieved leaders have promised to work for the success of the party in their respective, adding that what was being consolidated through reconciliatory processes was how to make them spread their tentacles into others states for overwhelming victory.

He said the reconciliatory moves by the PDP would not make the candidate lose sight of the objective of rescuing the nation.

Aniagwu explained that the greatest problem in the past seven years of the All Progressive Congress (APC)-led Federal Government was it’s inability to effectively and efficiently manage the nation’s diversity, noting that this was what the Atiku-Okowa ticket would cure.

Saying that his principal was very much concerned about the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has kept students at home for over six months, Aniagwu declared strikes would not be witnessed if Atiku is elected.

He said the president candidate was already working on number of bills to address corruption and devolution of power, insisting that Atiku was prepared to hit the ground running as soon as he is sworn-in.

“One of the things Atiku would do immediately is to begin a process to get our diaspora brothers and sisters to vote in subsequent elections.

“And that will come through a piece of legislation because he believes, and he has also made case for that in the past, there are several Nigerians living outside this country and disenfranchising them on account of weak legislation is not the way to go.

“There would be time for fanfare as soon as Atiku wins. The list of ministerial nominees would be ready even before the swearing-in, to afford Nigerians to screen the nominees,” he added.