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Tag: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

  • Nigeria no longer working under APC – Atiku

    …seeks Ekiti PDP support ahead of primaries

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) out of power, accusing the ruling party of failing in fulfilling its promises to Nigerians.

    Atiku alleged that Nigerian has retrogressed under the APC watch adding that nothing is working again in the country.

    He promised that he will get the country working again if he emerges as the next President.

    Read Also:Atiku: why PDP didn’t snatch Lagos from Tinubu

    According to him, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led has failed in its cardinal objectives of reviving the economy, ensuring security of lives and property and anti-corruption crusade.

    The former Vice President spoke on Tuesday at the new Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, where he canvassed the support of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) delegates ahead of the presidential primary.

    Ekiti PDP delegates were led by Governor Ayo Fayose to receive Atiku who was accompanied by the Director General of his campaign organization, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Senate Deputy Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, among others.

    The presidential aspirant urged the Nigerian electorate to entrust the PDP with their votes claiming that the umbrella party, which ruled for 16 years, managed Nigeria better than the APC

    Atiku said: “Today, the nation’s security system has collapsed and Nigerians are yearning for PDP to return and set things straight.

    “In spite of APC’ promises to get us massive employment, 12 million of our youths are unemployed now. They promised to fight corruption but according to international rating, Nigeria is now more corrupt than ever.

    “They promised us peace but today the security challenge has been the worst in my lifetime, they promised unity but today we are more divided than ever because they lack respect for rule of law and our constitution and are only protecting the interest of a few.

    “I assure you, we are going to get Nigeria working again the nation hasn’t been working since APC took over government.

    “This is not the government that we should allow to be here, therefore, my fellow brothers and sisters, I have come to appeal to you to support me and compare with the other contestants in terms of my capacity and integrity.

    “I have challenged anyone that if you have any evidence against Atiku on corruption you should come forward but nobody has done that. I urge you to compare all these attributes.

    “Give us the opportunity to develop our resources and our people so that we can achieve better development for our people.”

    Fayose said the major objective of the PDP is to chase Buhari and APC away from power urging all party members to be united to realize the objective.

    He said: “I want to assure that on behalf of Ekiti that this journey will not come to sorrow for you. Our prayer is that this will not be an effort in futility.

    “For Ekiti, we will speak in one voice; we believe that the only solution is PDP now, and that we must win. Today, we are being oppressed.

    “We need power more than personal interest; we have to operate a PDP that can win election. This journey will bring joy peace to your hearts.

    “If we must win, we must go to the poll united, we should not discriminate against anyone by saying someone has just come.

    “Our focus is to chase Buhari away. And we must work assiduously towards that. And I believe he will leave.”

    Ekiti PDP Chairman, Gboyega Oguntuase, said: “Buhari is not behaving like somebody who can bring the desired growth and development that Nigeria yearns for. God’s hand writing is clear that Atiku will be the next Nigeria President.”

  • Police arrest Borno guber aspirant in Maiduguri

    Former Executive Secretary of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (BOSEMA) and governorship aspirant in Borno for POD, Alh. Grema Terrab, has been arrested by the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Maiduguri.

    Mr. Terab was arrested on Tuesday at the occasion of the visit of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for evasion of arrest over his complicity in an alleged murder case at his residence in Maiduguri April this year.

    Read Also:Police arrest cult kingpins for ‘initiating’ pupils

    The Nation checks revealed that Mr. Terab declared wanted by the police despite reporting the case to the police. Some of his family members including his wife Saadatu Mohammed who lost her pregnancy in police detention before she was released on bail.

    Tuesday, visit of Atiku Abubakar however gave the police an ample opportunity to whisk Mr.Terab away. He showed up for the event probably unaware of the police ambush – the Police had waited patiently till the end of the occasion and effected his arrest.

    An eyewitness informed that some of the aides of the governorship aspirant were sighted beggibg the police to rescind the arrest to no avail.

    The source also added that Terab having been informed of the presence of the police to arrest him held the garment of the former vice President in an attempt to shield himself but was pulled away by the resolute security personnel and taken away.

    The posters of Alh. Terab for governor have recently flooded Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    The Borno police command is yet to issue a statement on the arrest.

  • Ramadan: Atiku urges Muslims to pray for Nigeria’s unity

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar  has urged Muslims to use the Ramadan period to pray for unity in the country.

    He made the call in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, as Muslims the world over commenced fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.

     

    The former vice president, who decribed Ramadan as period of recompense, piety and separation from sin, said Muslims must be ready to sacrifice and pray to Almighty Allah who made Ramadan a blessing for them.

    He added that the holy month of Ramadan was an avenue for every Muslim to reflect on the past, with a view to seeking forgiveness from Allah.

    He admonished Muslims to manifest the spirit of love, oneness, charity, reflection, obedience and other tenets of Islam during and after the Ramadan.

    He noted that “the 29 or 30 days of fasting should be dedicated to moving closer to Almighty Allah.

    Also read : Herdsmen kill five in Benue

     “As a Muslim, I believe so much in prayers, especially the ones offered during Ramadan because this is a period of purification when a Muslim is expected to, more than ever before, show piety in all areas of life.

    “So, any prayer offered at such period is always acceptable as the Almighty Allah is merciful and benevolent.”

    Atiku wished Nigerian Muslims a fruitful Ramadan and appealed to them to imbibe honesty, love and peace during the period and beyond.

  • Atiku meets Makarfi, urges other defectors to return to PDP

    Atiku meets Makarfi, urges other defectors to return to PDP

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Tuesday called on other politicians that dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to the PDP.

    Atiku was received at the party’s Abuja secretariat by the chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi at 12 pm.

    The former Vice President said it’s only by their returning to the PDP that he and other defectors could build a stronger and more united PDP that can regain power in 2019.

    Addressing Makarfi, Atiku said, “All what I have come to do today is to come and show my face. Many people have read in the media that I have returned home. This is home.

    “Let me pay tribute to past leadership of this great party wherever they may be and to call upon them to please return home as I have done.

    “It is only by their returning home that we will build a stronger, more united party that can again return to government and continue to deliver the dividends of democracy.

    “I can bet you the records we have achieved so far in governance; no government has yet even done 50 percent of what we have achieved in government, not to talk of equaling our performance in government”.

    “Over the years, like any or every human organisation, PDP has faced its challenges. But I want to pay tribute to those who have stayed steadfast through thick and thin to see us through to this point.

    “Now that we have learnt our lessons, I hope that we will be guided by the lessons we have learnt. And that is to make sure that we build an all-inclusive party, where every part of this country will have a sense of belonging and sense of participation”

    Atiku commended the leadership of the PDP for keeping the party united despite many challenges and assured of his support and cooperation at all times.

    He recalled that the PDP was founded on the principles of democracy, good governance, unity of the country and the prosperity of its people.

    His return to the party, he said, was to help continue with the work of reforming and re-branding of the party, adding that the party must avoid tendencies that breed conflicts in the party.

    “To achieve all these, there must be sacrifices, understanding and compromises in the process of achieving that. And that is what I speak to members to imbibe. But as you know, one thing that I will never compromise is the internal democracy process in a given political party. And I hope we all must have learnt our lessons.

    “Mr Chairman, I want to congratulate you for a wonderful work which you have been doing to redeem the image of this party, to rebrand it and return it to its original form. I want to assure you of my support and cooperation at all times, to make sure that these objectives are achieved by you and subsequently by your successors”.

    Atiku had, last week, announced his resignation from the APC where he and others had defected to in 2014 owing to disagreements with the then President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Responding, Makarfi said Atiku has opened the flood gates and that the party expects more high profile returnees and new entrants into the PDP in the days ahead.

    “So PDP must be prepared for this, and be ready to reconcile and reintegrate in such a way and manner that everybody will be treated and given a level playing field to purse his or her personal aspiration. That is what PDP must stand for if it has to survive.

    The party chair denied the existence of any secret deal with Atiku for him to return to the party, adding that the ex-Vice President isn’t one to go for secret deals.

    “You have returned in good time and you should continue to contribute in this reinvention, remodeling of our party so that come 2019, we can reclaim what we can claim as ours. Because we still remain the only true Democratic Party in the true sense of the word.

    “We thank you for coming before the convention so that you can contribute to what we have started going forward. We will continue to consult you.

    “You will also help us reinvent the vehicle that will take us to Aso rock in 2019, we are not just targeting Aso Rock, we are targeting the federal legislature, the states; both the executive and legislature. We are targeting the local governments.

    “We want to sweep elections all across the country. As a united party, we have the capacity and we have the ability to do so,” Makarfi said.

     

  • You’ve made greatest mistake by dumping APC, el-Rufai tells Atiku 

    You’ve made greatest mistake by dumping APC, el-Rufai tells Atiku 

    Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i on Friday criticised the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar for dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said that Atiku has made the greatest mistake made by the movement.

    El-Rufai also said that Atiku was an inconsequential candidate to wrestle power from President Muhammadu Buhari, whom the entire North has rallied behind for 2019.

    The governor spoke with State House journalists after observing the Friday Juma’at prayers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    El Rufai said that the ex-Vice President was simply re-enacting his usual practice of cross carpeting aimlessly.

    According to him, Atiku would not be missed in any way and that he lacked the political clout to pull any of the APC governors to his fold.

    He said “Well, I won’t even say we were in the APC together. Some of us formed the APC, some of them joined because they thought that the APC was a platform for which they would contest election. But when they didn’t get the opportunity, they started looking around.

    “I have heard about what the former Vice President said about leaving the APC. We knew he was going to leave in December but he has left in November which is good because the earlier he leaves for where he belongs the better. He has changed political parties a few times, there is nothing surprising. Before the 2019 elections if situation changes and he thinks he can get the ticket in 2019 he will come back. That is what he has done a few times.

    On claims that Atiku was driven out of the party, he said “No one has driven him out of the party. The APC is an equal opportunity platform for everyone. He has in his statement of leaving the party made reference to the memo I wrote to Mr. President in September 2016, where I was calling on the President to reach out to party leaders that feel aggrieved and I mentioned him, the Asiwaju and many others.

    “The others are still in the APC because they believe in the direction of the party, they believe we have come to save the country from a very bad situation. But the former Vice President is always looking for an opportunity to contest. He is a serial contestant and we wish him luck.” he said

    On possibility of some members leaving with Atiku, he said “I don’t know about the loyalists in the APC that will go with him, but I want to assure you that there is no one governor in the APC that is going to go with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

    “The only governor that he would think will go with him; the governor of Adamawa State has already endorsed President Buhari for the 2019 elections. And there are many governors I will not mention the number but a majority of the APC governors have already taken the position that the president should run for a second term in office.

    “And we are grateful to the Almighty God that the question marks about his health have been put to rest, he is getting better every day and we are confident that the way to preserve our party and preserve and advance the interest of Nigeria is for Mr. President to run for a second term. I’m curious to see which APC governor will go with Atiku.

    “As for party loyalists it depends on what you defend as loyalists. We will wait and see how that evolves. But as a governor I want to assure you that not one governor is going to leave the party to go with the former Vice President. That I am sure of. I can speak authoritatively about it because I’m in touch with my colleagues” he said.

    He said that Atiku will never be a threat to Buhari if they run for the Presidency in 2019.

    “He has never been and will never be a threat to President Buhari. Let me say this very clearly, and I have said this to the former Vice President in 2014 Dubai when we met because before joining the APC he sent for me. He told me of his intentions and I welcomed it because politics is a game of addition not subtraction. So the more you have the merrier.

    “However, I told him not to run for the presidency because I believe very strongly this is Buhari’s era. As long President Muhammadu Buhari is in politics I do not see any Nigerian from the northern part of the country that will be able to match him in popularity.

    “The people of the nineteen northern states and Nigeria have decided because of the President’s past history of Integrity and good governance they are committed to him. Anyone standing up to challenge him is wasting his time. God has decreed that this is Buhari’s time and we are waiting for the PDP to give Atiku Abubakar the ticket and we will face in on the field, but I have no doubt that I will not lose any sleep about it,” he stated.

     

     

  • Atiku has not informed us formally, but we wish him goodluck – APC

    Atiku has not informed us formally, but we wish him goodluck – APC

    National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, was yet to formally inform the party of his decision to leave and seek his political fortune elsewhere.

    Bolaji told newsmen at the party secretariat that party was yet to see any official notification from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he was leaving the party.

    Reacting to the news of the former Vice President’s decision to leave the party, Abdullahi said if Atiku believe that his interest will be better served elsewhere, the party has nothing else to say than to wish him Goodluck.

    He said in the coming days, the party will watch and see the number of people that will follow the former Vice President before it will know whether to worry or not, adding that a strong political party is not built in just one day.

    He said “Politics is about interest, we have not seen any formal notification to that effect but base on what we have seen in the social media we can say all together is surprising but for us politics is all about interest.

    “So, if the former Vice President feels that his interest is better served elsewhere, we can always wish him goodluck. For us, the task of building a political party is not a day’s job; its marathon and it takes many years and we will continue to improve on our system until we are able to get the kind of party that we want to really, really build.

    “It takes many years to build a strong political party. In a new party, you find some people are happy, some people are not so happy and everybody would have to take their decisions at some point. So, we don’t have anything to say rather than to wish the former Vice President goodluck.”

    Asked how Atiku’s exit will affects the fortunes of the party, Abdullahi said “a loss of fortune is in numbers. So, if we are able to see the number of people that followed the former Vice President to his new party that is when we will begin to worry. So, when we see we will know whether we need to worry or not. It is about number.”

    Read Also: Why I left APC – Atiku

     

  • South West youths urge Atiku to return to PDP

    South West youths urge Atiku to return to PDP

    The South-West chapter of the Nigeria Youth Coalition (NYC) has urged former vice president Atiku Abubakar to negotiate his way to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) before the party’s December 9 National Convention.

    The youth groups also urged the former vice president to seek support of ex Nigerian leaders, particularly, his former principal, Olusegun Obasanjo, in his bid to win the 2019 presidential election.

    According to a statement signed by its Coordinator, Ojo Abiodun Emmanuel yesterday, the group noted that Nigerian youths would campaign for the former vice president when he formerly declare his intention to run for the office of the President.

    Ojo observed that the former vice president may find it difficult to secure the presidential ticket of the PDP if he did not participate in the forthcoming convention.

    “We want the former Vice president to return to the PDP as soon as possible so that he can participate in the December convention. He should be part of the PDP rebirth, this will avail him a better chance to compete during the party’s primary, ahead of the 2019,” Ojo stated.

    He explained that Atiku is vast in modern economic policies and political economy, which according to him, is lacking in the current administration.

    “We are ready to mobilise Nigerian youths in support of Atiku, come 2019 elections. Nigerian youths are confident that only the former Vice president is competent and experienced enough to lead Nigeria to economic prosperity,” he added.

  • 2019: PDP renews call for Atiku’s return

    2019: PDP renews call for Atiku’s return

    The Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party ( PDP ) has renewed its call on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to return to the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Mr Shehu Tahir, the state chairman of the party, made the call while speaking the party’s stakeholders meeting on Wednesday in Yola.

    Tahir said: “It is not a wise decision for Atiku to abandon the house he helped to build, so we want him back.’’

    He said that the problem that led to mass defection of former members of the party to other parties were over, hence the need for them to return.

    “We are calling on Atiku Abubakar, who is among the PDP founding fathers, not to abandon the house he had helped to build.

    “This is because the party needs him now to continue from where he stopped.’’

    Read: PDP chair: Dokpesi flays BoT members’ role

    He also called on other stakeholders to help prevail on the former vice-president to return to the party.

    “We urge our stakeholders to prevail on him and others who left to reconsider their decision and return to the party.”

    On the 2019 general elections, the chairman said that the party was ready to provide credible alternative to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

    According to the chairman, the party’s doors are open to all Nigerians willing to join its fold, assuring that level playing ground would be provided to all members.

  • Atiku Abubakar absent at APC Caucus meeting

    Atiku Abubakar absent at APC Caucus meeting

    Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was conspicuously absent at the All Progressives Congress’ caucus meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the new Banquet Hall, Aso Rock, Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, gathered that the Turakin Adamawa might have travelled out of the country.

    NAN reports that the meeting which started at about 8.45p.m. was being attended by the newly appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.

    NAN also observed that some participants at the meeting were seen “struggling’’ for photo opportunity with the new SGF.

    Others attending the meeting include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the APC national Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun, Sen. Bola Tinubu, cabinet ministers and presidential aides.

    Read also: Buhari hands over Lawal, Oke to anti-graft agencies

    The meeting was also being attended by governors of Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Sokoto, Niger, Kogi, Jigawa, Benue, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Kebbi, Nasarawa as well as deputy governors of Kwara and Yobe states.(NAN)

  • Braithwaite: Nigeria has lost a giant – Atiku

    Braithwaite: Nigeria has lost a giant – Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says the death of Nigeria’s veteran lawyer and politician, Mr. Tunji Braithwaite, has robbed the country of one of its greatest giants not only in the field of law, but also in politics.

    Atiku, in a statement by his media office in Abuja on Monday, says he particularly admired the late Braithwaite because of his unwavering commitment to constitutional reforms, especially his agitation for restructuring of the country.

    The former Vice President explains that he shares in Braithwaite’s passion for creating a fairer federal system that would reduce the fear of too much power and resources at the centre at the expense of the federating units.

    Atiku says he was keenly following Braithwaite’s contributions on the issue when he was a delegate at the 2014 National Conference, adding that his consistency in the pursuit of his convictions was remarkable.

    According to him, the late veteran lawyer and politician was not “your typical Nigerian politician that opportunistically changes his opinions to ingratiate himself with the new powers that be.”
    According to the Turaki Adamawa, “These are extraordinary virtues for which I admire him deeply and regard him as a role model. May his soul rest in peace.”