ABUJA- AHEAD of the Presidential and general elections slated for March 28 and April 11 respectively, the Presidency declared yesterday that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was on sabbatical at the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying that he would soon return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before the elections.
Speaking yesterday when 120 support groups of Atiku Abubakar defected to the PDP to support the re- election bid of President Jonathan, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali said that the former vice president was a core PDP member and the defection of his supporters did not come to the party as a surprise, just as he expressed optimism that Atiku would soon join them in the PDP.
Alkali said, ” Atiku is a PDP man to the core but he has gone on vacation and I believe one day he too will come back to the party. My only prayer is that he comes back before the general election this year so that he can support Mr President fully to ensure our success.”
Meanwhile, the groups according to the coordinator, Peter Ogar, they were compelled to join the transformation train which elicit hope and assurances for the youth of the country, even as he said that they were dumping the APC because it has become a house divided against itself which was an implication of huge support deficit for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential elections date of March 28 comes very close.
The national leadership of the PDP has however described President Jonathan as the single formidable rallying point in the country Today.
Speaking while receiving the members of the 120 support groups, PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu who was represented by his deputy, Prince Uche Secondus who assured them that they were in the right place, stressed that they were bonafide members of the party and promised them of equal right, even as he urged them to be free in engaging in all party activities especially in the campaigns.
Secondus who noted that there was no better time to join the party than now to declare for President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo Sambo, however charged the new entrants to be alert on the schemes of the opposition that have concluded plans to tarnish the image of President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders of the PDP.
The PDP deputy National Chairman asked them to be prepared for the propaganda which was not the basis for winning elections, emphasizing that only people with permanent voter cards were eligible to win, asking them to reach out to the grassroot and convert them to the Jonathan side before March 28.
He said, “The opposition, especially the APC, in the coming days are deliberately packaging well misinformed and propaganda to be dished out to the public. These propaganda are aimed at blackmailing either the President or leaders of the party. This is an alert like that in the media that the PDP hires Israeli to jam card readers.”
Speaking further, Prof. Alkali who accused the opposition APC of crass opportunism in taking credit for some reforms and executive decisions taken by the Jonathan administration, said, “In 2010 this government initiated electoral reform and you recall various opposition parties opposed the reform.
When Justice Mohammed Uwais was appointed the chairman they opposed it, most of them refused to submit memoranda, most of them refused to appear in person to make any proposal for the reform. But once the Electoral Act was brought in they were the same people who started jubilating that they were part of the process for the electoral reforms. I think this is sheer opportunism.
“When Mr President appointed Prof Attahiru Jega as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission again the opposition fought against Jega. They said this man has come to do the bidding of Mr President. Today they want to claim Jega as their own man, they want to dictate to him what he is to do today and what he is going to do tomorrow. Again this is evidence of opportunism.
“We are dealing with desperate politicians and we should not be part of that.”
He commended members of the 120 Atiku Abubakar support groups for dumping the APC for the ruling party and implored them to ensure they obtain their permanent voters cards.
“You have moved away from darkness to light. There is a big difference between a man moving around with brooms from a man who is living under umbrella, a colourful umbrella for that. That you for taking this firm decision this point in time.”
Also in his remark, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, the FCT Minister who welcomed the group, described the APC as a party made up of characters that were not compatible, adding that the PDP, was however, not ready to join issues with the APC and that President Jonathan was one leader that had conquered sentiments in Nigerian politics.
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