IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has been accused of blocking the chances of the party returning to power.
The candidate’s decision to leave the country and only return during elections is said to be a stumbling block towards PDP’s push to return to power.
Atiku Abubakar had been residing in Dubai since he lost the presidential election in 2019. He came back to Nigeria briefly during the party’s presidential primary election which he won.
Shortly after the primary election and unveiling of his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, the presidential candidate flew out of the country again, ignoring the crisis bedeviling his party.
Deji Adeyanju, a socio-political commentator, has said that Atiku’s conduct and behaviour shows that he does not have the interest of the PDP at heart.
In a recent interview, Adeyanju said: “From his conduct and behaviour, Atiku has only his interest at heart, and anyway you look at it, there is no way you can tell me that a man who scored almost 11 million votes will refuse to go to court even for one day on his own matter.
“We saw how Buhari consistently was at every sitting of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court pursuing his case. He was there with lots of his supporters, that is, somebody who is serious about business.
“Atiku has become like a serial candidate; he wants to contest every election. He just wants to be on the ballot. I’m yet to see his level of seriousness and strategy.
“That’s why I was the first person to call him out; how can you lose an election then go and spend three years in Dubai? Muslims just had big Sallah, and Atiku is not in the country, and this is somebody who is a frontrunner in the presidential election. He was not in Ekiti, and Osun is a few days away, and he is missing in action.
“These are indices that the man is not serious, and that is why I said except barring any last-minute dynamics; I see APC having to win because the level of seriousness I expect from the opposition is not there.
“Six weeks after presidential primaries, ‘Obedient’ people are still making noise on social media; they are not anywhere in the country, not building any structure; they are just insulting people online. Kwankwaso has the same thing; what is he doing aside from granting interviews, nothing. So, these are not serious people.”
He lamented that while the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu is in Osun State campaigning for his party, Atiku is “missing in action.”
The rights activist recalled a similar scenario during the last governorship election in Ekiti State.
He added, “Tinubu was in Ekiti and was shouting broom, broom; you will be shocked that he would soon be on his way to Osun. The seriousness from the opposition is just not there.
“When somebody is not serious, of course, he is blocking PDP’s chances of returning to power. If we say, somebody is not serious about a strategy to win an election; it’s like Obi, who is just a social media presidential candidate and likes to appear on TV to dazzle people with figures that don’t add up sometimes.
“Look at Tinubu during the APC presidential primaries; he didn’t grant one television interview, and he wasn’t on social media saying anything. Osinbajo was popular on social media and doing PR, yet he came third. AMAECHI, who did not do anything, came second.
“So, politics is dynamic; you must be willing to do the work.”
