From John Adams, Minna
The recent endorsement of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi by former president Obasanjo as his preferred Presidential Candidate ahead of his former vice president Atiku Abubakar has been described as a mere pronouncement which has no electoral value.
A group under the auspices of “Atiku Solution 2023” Niger state, in a statement in Minna on Wednesday said Obasanjo endorsement of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate instead of Atiku could be attributed to his (Obasanjo) unforgiving posture over Atiku’s role against Obasanjo’s third term bid.
The group alleged that Obasanjo’s unrepentant stance against the Presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar who was his Vice President, could simply be traced to the patriotic role Atiku played to truncate the ambition of the former President to elongate his tenure in office.
The statement signed by the state coordinator of “Atiku solution 2023”, Alhaji Nma Alfa Bida, pointed out that the former President, because of his vindictive nature, has find it difficult to forgive Atiku for mobilizing well meaning Nigerians to scuttled his “life President” ambition in 2007, adding that “if not for Atiku and some other well meaning Nigerians, people like Late President Yar’adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and President Mohammadu Buhari wouldn’t have been president of this country”.
According to Nma, the only sin of Atiku Abubakar against Obasanjo was his role in the defense of the Nigerian democracy from the hand of a detector who wanted to make himself a live President through a legislation at the National Assembly but was frustrated by Atiku and some Nigerians.
He pointed that “If Atiku had not fought against the emerging tyranny that was to metamorphosed to Obasanjo life Presidency, there wouldn’t have being a genuine democracy in Nigeria today.”
While insisting that the PDP and Atiku campaign organization are not moved by the endorsement of the Labour Party Candidate, Nma said what the former Vice President deserve was a National honour for his heroic stance in the defense of the Nigeria democracy and constitution.
He recalled how Obasanjo planned to remove term limits for the executives including Governors, and Deputies, President and Vice to give way for his third term and the eventual life president.
Nma in the statement also condemned the mocking of Atiku by the leader of the G5 Governors, Nyesom Wike, over the choice of Peter Obi by Obasanjo ahead of Atiku, saying that “Some politicians are blindfolded due to their selfish interest. People like Wike thinks he is intelligent but he is a funny man who seems to speak before he thinks.
“Wike said Atiku’s boss, Obasanjo recommend another person, Peter Obi instead of Atiku for the Presidency for the next election but Wike has forgotten so soon that, himself worked with Amaechi for eight years but Amaechi did not recommend as governor of River State and can never recommend him for anything.
“In fact Ameachi and Wike are leaving like cat and mouse today, the two are greatest enemies in Nigeria political space today”, wondering why such a person could mock Atiku for not being endorsed by his former Boss.
According to him, Atiku had never come on Television or any public gathering to condemn his boss despite the verbal attacks and provocations by Obasanjo unlike what Wike is doing to Ameachi at every given opportunity.
