From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) has said that the fixation of President Muhammadu Buhari on former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s visit to the United States of America, at the weekend, is defeatist.
The campaign organisation, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said despite efforts by the Presidency to allegedly stall the visit, Atiku, who is the opposition party’s presidential candidate, freely travelled to the US, where he had fruitful sessions with international business entities on how to revamp the country’s economy.
Ologbondiyan said: “President Buhari and the APC were so disturbed about Atiku acceptance by the international community that they wasted billions of naira from the coffers of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to organise a failed protest in the US. When that failed, they attempted to use the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to threaten and level spurious allegations against Atiku, which also came to naught, as the entire world saw through the fabrications.
“Today, Atiku has global support, unlike Buhari, who has no friends all over the world. Nigerians have made up their mind to elect Atiku on February 16 and, for this, we charge Buhari to begin to prepare to go home on May 29. If Buhari has anything to tell or ask our candidate, Atiku, he should be bold to meet him at an open debate anyday, any time and at any venue.”