…urges electorate to ‘reject PDP and its leprous ticket’
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun Adegboruwa, says Nigerian electorate should refrain from electing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the nation’s president in 2023.
Adegboruwa, who issued this warning in a statement on Wednesday, accused Atiku of desperation, saying, “PDP cannot be trusted with Nigeria’s constitution.”
The lawyer also accused the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party of violating its rotation principle with Atiku’s choice as its presidential candidate.
Atiku had on May 27 won the PDP presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections, having polled 371 out of the 767 accredited votes to defeat his closest rival, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who polled 237 votes.
While former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, came a distant third with 70 votes, erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, got only 14 votes. Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed got only 20 votes, while Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel scored only 38 votes.
Each of the other presidential aspirants, including Dele Momodu and Ayo Fayose, Charles Ugwu, and Chikwendu Kalu scored zero votes, while Tarella Diana and Sam Ohuabunwa, respectively, got one vote each.
But Adegboruwa, who underscored the dangers posed to the country by an Atiku presidency, said, “Undue and unbridled desperation for power lead to ineffectiveness. This has been the case with Buhari and so it shall be with Atiku, who has lusted for power beyond human understanding.
“In order to satisfy the political ambition of Atiku, PDP ate its own vomit, threw away its own Constitution and rejected decency and justice embedded in the power rotation doctrine. If PDP will not honour it’s own Constitution, how can it be trusted with the Constitution of Nigeria?
“In seeking to succeed Buhari from the same Northern region, Atiku and his supporters do not believe in the plurality and unity of Nigeria.
“In seeking to succeed Buhari who is a Muslim of the same faith with him, Atiku does not believe in the secularity of Nigeria as stated in our Constitution.
“In rejecting the popular decision of the PDP Committee set up to select his Vice-Presidential candidate, Atiku has shown himself to be an incurable dictator, who may be worse than Buhari if trusted with power.
“An Atiku presidency will translate to 16 years of unbroken presidency of the North, which will lead to more agitations and may snowball into disintegration.
“An Atiku presidency will translate to 16 years of Muslim-Muslim presidency, which will facilitate more terrorist attacks, lead to marginalisation of people of other faiths and likely increased persecution.
“Having regard to our collective experience under the inglorious Obasanjo/Atiku regime, an
Atiku presidency will translate into the loss of national assets, the mortgaging of our commonwealth and uncontrolled senseless capitalism, leading to poverty of the masses.
“Atiku cannot be the option for today’s Nigeria. I, therefore, urge all people of good conscience to reject PDP and it’s leprous ticket.”