by Mayowa Aboah
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said he will not give up on his ambition to become the president of the country.
Speaking to journalists at his residence in Abuja on Tuesday, Atiku submitted that to abandon the presidential race in the country would amount to a loss of hope in the redemption of the nation.
”How can I be discouraged? You are just asking me to give up on Nigeria. I don’t have any other place to go.”
“So, why should I give up on Nigeria? That is what you are asking me to do. I won’t give up until I can no longer have the capacity, the strength. I cannot give up on Nigeria.”
Addressing stories that certain chieftains in the All Progressives Congress were planning on giving the party’s presidential ticket to his main rival, Rtd. Maj-Gen. Muhammed Buhari, as a consensus candidate, the former vice president dismissed it as mere rumour, stating that the party’s constitution had no provision for automatic ticket.
“Those people who are canvassing for automatic ticket are scared of contesting. There is nothing to be scared of in a contest carried out in a democratic setting. How can you canvass for an automatic ticket in a democratic process? There is nothing like that. So I mean these are people who are afraid of contest.
“An automatic ticket is not going to be possible. Those people asking for automatic ticket are definitely scared of contesting. They might have been coming from a political background that did not know contest before and you know that APC is an amalgamation of political parties that came together and relinquished their identities. But APC as is currently constituted, cannot escape an elective primary, because there is no zoning, so on what basis are you canvassing for an automatic ticket?” he queried.
THANK YOU and VERY WELL SPOKEN SIR!
Atiku’s experience in business and governance, Will solve the unemployment, economic, political, social and security challenges facing the country.
Nigeria needs a bridge builder, a detribalized Nigerian with his foothold in all the six geo-political zones of the country and Atiku has shown to posses all this qualities and his contacts and connections within and outside this country will be of immense benefit to Nigerians.