POLITICS

Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Atiku Fires Another Shot, Says Tinubu Suffering from Memory Loss

Published

3 weeks ago

July 25, 2022

Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Atiku Fires Another Shot, Says Tinubu Suffering from Memory Loss

Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the claim by presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that it was Atiku that offered him vice presidential ticket in 2007, saying the APC candidate may be suffering from memory loss.

Atiku had in an interview with Arise TV faulted the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC, recalling that he rejected Tinubu’s bid to run on a joint ticket with him in 2007 because of his conviction that same faith ticket would not augur well for a multi religion and multi ethnic country like Nigeria.

Tinubu Campaign had swiftly reacted to the interview, claiming it was indeed Atiku that offered Tinubu to be his running mate in the 2007 presidential election.

Reacting Sunday night, Atiku Campaign, in a statement said: “We would not say that Bola Tinubu has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt, and believe that his memory may not be what it used to be.”

Multiple Unconnected Third Parties Corroborate Atiku Abubakar’s Position on Tinubu

We have read the response from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the groundbreaking interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to Arise TV, and even though it was replete with indiscreet language, the former Vice President has elected to respond to the claims made by Asiwaju.

In responding, he has chosen the route of a friendly riposte, in the hope that his gesture will be reciprocated by the Asiwaju in future.

On the issue of Atiku Abubakar offering to make Bola Tinubu his running mate in 2007, the Waziri says as a statesman, which he believes Asiwaju Bola Tinubu also is, or should be, it is pertinent that they use temperate language at all times. It not only shows that they are seasoned and mature, more importantly, it is a good indicator of fitness for the office.

And that is why it is our intention to respond to Asiwaju’s statement on Atiku Abubakar’s Arise TV interview, not in the rather impolite manner that he dealt the PDP presidential candidate, but in measured tones.

The major accusation made by Asiwaju Tinubu is that the Waziri Adamawa offered him the opportunity of being his running mate in 2007, which means that the former Vice President was not then mindful of Nigeria’s religious and ethnic diversity, making his statements during the Arise TV interview hypocritical.

We would not say that Bola Tinubu has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt, and believe that his memory may not be what it used to be.

Nigerians may want to note that on 14 September, 2005, the then US Consul General, Brian L. Browne, drafted a memo, leaked via Wikileaks, wherein he stated that Bola Tinubu was scheming to be a running mate to either Atiku Abubakar or Muhammadu Buhari.

This is further historically corroborated by the subsequent political history of Nigeria. Biographers of President Muhammadu Buhari have variously recounted how Bola Tinubu made the same request of then Presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

In his 2016 AUTHORISED biography of President Muhammadu Buhari titled ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria’, Professor John Paden, an American, wrote about the issue as follows:

“Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and political ‘godfather’ of the South-West geopolitical zone, felt he should be the vice-presidential candidate.”

The above clearly shows a behavioural pattern here. So, if anyone is “unhinged from the truth” (to borrow Asiwaju Tinubu’s words), it certainly is not Atiku Abubakar.

In any case, if Bola Tinubu can forget the name of his own political party, why will he not also forget what transpired in 2007 and 2015? We do sympathise with him.

The fact remains that in a fragile and ethnically diverse nation, such as ours, religious and ethnic balance must be observed at the highest levels, and from there flow downwards.

That is what Atiku Abubakar said during his interview with Arise TV on Thursday, July 21, 2022, and he stands on that principle and will continue to so stand without apology to anyone.

From the forgoing, it is clear that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar’s memory and recollection of the event has been corroborated by multiple, independent, and unconnected third parties, and if this were a court of law, this issue would have been regarded as proved beyond reasonable doubt.

We would also like to remind Nigerians that even though multiple sources have testified that Bola Tinubu desperately lobbied to be made Buhari’s deputy in a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Bola Tinubu himself denied this on June 22, 2022, and instead accused President Buhari of offering him the position of Vice President.

Which is exactly the same false allegation he has made against Atiku Abubakar. This is a pattern of behaviour. Not owning up to his actions.

Therefore, we hope this settles the matter, and that cordiality can be expected henceforth from the opposing camp.

Signed:

Paul Ibe,

Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007.

Abuja

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NEWS

2023: APC unveils Lalong as presidential campaign DG, Keyamo as spokesperson

Published

1 week ago

August 4, 2022

Segun Lawal

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Adamu on Thursday unveiled Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum as the Director General of the party’s presidential campaign organisation.

The National Chairman, who led the presidential candidate of the party Bola Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shettima to a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his office in Abuja, made the announcement at a briefing. He equally unveiled the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo as the interim spokesperson of the Campaign Organisation. Barr Hanatu Musa Musa was named the deputy spokesperson.

According to him, the meeting was to brief the President and get his approval on the party’s plans regarding the campaign outfit and organogram. On the single faith ticket, the APC Chairman appealed to APC members to be patient and watch how the party develops. He noted that the party is sensitive to the concerns of Nigerians and assured that amicable solutions to the various sentiments would be worked out before the commencement of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Governor Lalong stated that he was surprised when he heard the announcement, promising to work along the established structure of the party.

POLITICS

BreakingNews: Wike Agree To Support Atiku’s Presidential

Published

2 weeks ago

August 1, 2022

Segun Lawal

After a tug of war between the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in the build-up to the 2023 general election, Wike has finally agreed to support Atiku in the presidential election.

Wike’s resolution followed a closed-door emergency meeting held at the Rivers State governor’s lodge in Abuja on Sunday.

it was earlier reported that Governor Wike met with PDP governors and other stakeholders of the party, who coordinated his campaign for the presidential ticket behind closed doors at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro in Abuja.

At the meeting, Wike and some chieftains of the party agreed to work for the success of the party’s presidential candidate after he and some of his colleagues who are in his camp agreed to remain in the party and work for Atiku’s victory in the forthcoming election.

Those at the meeting include Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke; former governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswam; former Ondo state governor, Olusegun Mimiko and former Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson.

Others are the former governor of Kogi state, Ibrahim Idris; former Plateau state governor, Jonah Jang; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, and Kano PDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Abacha.

Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, was also at the meeting with some members of the PDP National Assembly caucus.

It could be recalled that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar polled 371 votes to emerge as the PDP’s flagbearer ahead of Wike who scored 237 votes to come second in the party’s presidential primary.

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Weeks after the primary was held, the PDP presidential candidate named Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate.

This, however, led to a disagreement among party stakeholders as some commended the choice of Okowa while others rejected it, saying Atiku should have picked Wike who was the runner-up in the primary in the stead of his Delta counterpart.

In a bid to address the perceived grievances of the governor, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP set up a reconciliatory committee to meet with Wike over the fallout of the party’s presidential primary and the crisis trailing the nomination of a running mate.

POLITICS

Wike Vs Atiku: Remember Your Vow to Support Whoever Emerges PDP Flag-Bearer – Eze tells Gov. Wike

Published

2 weeks ago

July 30, 2022

Segun Lawal

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, member of APC Legacy Projects Media Team and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has reminded Governor Nyesom Wike of his vow during the presidential primary of the PDP in Abuja, that he would fully support whoever emerged as candidate of the party to show his love and commitment to the umbrella party and stop all these shenanigans and macabre dance that further portrays him as a very confused fellow.

Reacting to the Governor’s sudden derogatory comments, anti-party directives to his followers and romance with those whose political moorings are antithetical to that of the People’s Democratic Party and her presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Chief Eze hinted that the Rivers Governor is a desperate opportunist who has earned himself a reputation of a political chameleon with a wagging tongue of deceit.

On the laughable threat by the Governor and some of his misguided cohorts that they will speak to expose some recent happenings in PDP, after Atiku Abubakar’s Arise interview, Eze said such threat does not hold water and only presents the Governor and his cohorts as mere busybody, noting that nothing under the sun is apparently new about PDP and Atiku Abubakar.

“Is he going to tell us that he never wasted Rivers State funds in the wild goose chase of the PDP Presidential ticket in which he was thoroughly defeated? Or is he going to tell us that he never mobilised to be appointed as the Vice Presidential Candidate of PDP?”

Or is Wike going to tell us that he never vowed to support whoever emerged as the PDP Presidential Flag-Bearer. In case, he has forgotten he should listen to the video containing his speech where he thundered and vowed “Today anyone who emerges here I will support the person to the fullest because I am a committed party person, because I love this party, because since 1998 I have been in this party, I will work for this party, I will not go anywhere this is my party”.

“Is Wike going to tell us that Atiku has no right to appoint who should be his Vice President? I have counseled Wike to pipe down and accept his fate as his poor leadership, deceitful record, bad administration, past deeds and unwarranted and unguided utterances were the major factors that worked against him in not clinching the PDP Presidential ticket or becoming the Vice President to the PDP Presidential Flag-Bearer. “

Eze called on Wike not to allow his untutored followers to deceive him to work against his political party as “we can’t tolerate him in APC after all the damages he has done to the party in the State” Eze said.

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,

APC Chieftain, member of APC Legacy Projects Media Team & former National Publicity Secretary, nPDP