Ex VP, Atiku Abubakar
The National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the All Progressives Congress, Hilliard Eta, has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is no longer an option for the 2019 presidential race.
Eta said this in an interview with Saturday
PUNCH in Abuja, on Friday.
He explained that he was one of those who
canvassed votes for Atiku during the APC presidential primaries in 2015 but
that their loyalty shifted to Muhammadu Buhari after he became the party’s
presidential candidate.
Eta explained that he and all the other party
faithful cast their lot with the party and its candidate which eventually led
to Buhari’s emergence as President.
According to him, even the ardent critics of
Buhari have been surprised by his performance.
Eta said the President was already doing what
Atiku had always aspired to do if given the chance.
The APC chieftain said, “Another cycle is about
to come and Atiku is no more an option for me because I think that the option
for me now is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Buhari, who has
done remarkably well in keeping the promises that he made to Nigerians.”
He urged the former Vice President to join the
President in building the Nigeria of his dreams.
When asked if he was pushing for an automatic
ticket for Buhari, Eta said, “Well, because of the sterling qualities of the
President, because of the job he has done, the totality of the membership of
the party may want him to go back without contest.
“What I mean is that those who may want to
contest against him may join hands with him to build the country and have him
only as both the aspirant and eventually the candidate of the party. It has
happened in a lot of political circumstances around the world.”
In response to Eta, the Media Adviser to the
former Vice President, Paul Ibe, said every Nigerian was entitled to their
opinion.
He explained that the party chieftain was
expressing a personal opinion, but that he could only speak for himself in such
matters.
Ibe, who spoke to our correspondent in a
telephone interview, said, “He is entitled to his opinion like all Nigerians,
he is free to speak for himself just like he has done, but he can’t speak for
all Nigerians.”
Post A Comment: