- Our friendship won’t count here – Ayu warns Atiku
BY EDMOND ODOK – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says with a massive 11 million votes at his disposal, he deserves the right of first refusal going into the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential primaries to pick the party flagbearer for the 2023 general elections.
According to him; “Under normal circumstances, this is a guy who already has 11 million votes in the kitty and I feel like a party, I should be given the right of first refusal.”
The frontline PDP presidential aspirant, who made the declaration while on a visit to the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday to interact with members of the National Working Committee, said the PDP should do the right thing going forward.
However, he said notwithstanding this huge advantage, “We are in a democracy, all that I can urge you is that the way you have started, you should continue by being very fair, very credible and give every contestant to face the electorate. “
This is as the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyiochia Ayu, promised that his personal relationship with the former Vice President would not in any way influence the party’s decision on its 2023 presidential ticket.
Atiku, who formally informed the NWC members of his interest in being nominated as PDP’s flagbearer to contest next year’s presidential election, recalled his long-standing relationship with most of the members, saying; “Very many of you in this National Working Committee, have interacted with me politically and otherwise for a very, very long time.
“I don’t have to tell you what I am. What qualifications I have and what I can do for this party and for this country. I’m here to inform you of my decision to run again. I urge you to provide the environment for the best candidate to emerge. Mr Chairman, I dare say I’m the best candidate.”
He said the aspiration to lead Nigeria is anchored on his desire to unify Nigerians, secure their lives and property, as well as improve the economy among other things, adding that given the opportunity as Nigeria’s next president, the country was bound to enjoy a breath of fresh air away from the incompetence of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s eight years misrule.
“Secondly, I said I was going to deal with security issues. There has to be security before anything else. Mr Chairman and members of the NWC, about 7 months ago, I was on a visit to Niger State and I decided to pay a courtesy call on the Governor and the Governor told me ‘Sir, we have about 12 local governments which are under the control of bandits, we don’t know how to conduct elections in those local governments and I went to the President and said we need more policemen and the President said ‘how can I give you more policemen when the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission are in the court on who will recruit policemen.’ I cannot be that kind of President.”
Lamenting that things have continuously deteriorated in the country, the Waziri Adamawa said; “And that is where we are as at today. We cannot recruit policemen because the two agencies are in court. We have a president who cannot bring heads of two agencies under control, his own heads of the department, not even ministers.
“I’m not going to be that kind of President because you and I, Mr Chairman have worked in the same cabinet before.
In his response, the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ayu expressed the party’s gratitude to Atiku for facilitating the acquisition of the PDP National Secretariat during his time in office.
“Let me start by acknowledging that, you and I have been friends for over 30 years. As it was indicated, we were key players in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We’ve been working politically together, you are a presidential aspirant today, I want people to know that you are still my friend. I can’t deny you, I never deny my friends, including those who are at the other disastrous party.”
However, vowing not to allow his personal relationship with the Waziri Adamawa to becloud his sense of fairness and judgment in driving the process of choosing the party’s presidential candidate, Senator Ayu said; “I’m saying this that those who say oh, because of my personal relationship with you, as chairman, I will work for you. Mr Vice President, I will not work for you as an aspirant, I will work for all the 17 aspirants.”
“It is left for you to convince the delegates of our party that you are the best. You have to market yourself, you have to work hard, this NWC, for now, will remain an umpire, we are not going to take sides with any particular aspirant but we love you all”, the PDP Chairman gave his word of honour.
