PDP rules out Tinubu as Atiku’s match, governors meet to shop for running mate

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted the 2023 presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu insisting he is no match for its candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

 In a statement Wednesday by its national publicity secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the party said the former Lagos state governor clinched the APC ticket at a very great price.

PDP also sympathised with Tinubu for embarking on a journey to nowhere, adding “he is no match for PDP’s more popular, more competent and more prepared Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar the unifier and the people’s choice, who defeated President Buhari fair and square in the 2019 Presidential election.

The statement partly read “Asiwaju will soon realize that Nigeria is not one of his acquired estates or fiefdoms and that the Nigerian people are not his political string-puppets and retinue of lackies, from whom he bought the APC Presidential ticket.

“Asiwaju will also soon realize that Nigerians hold him responsible for his self-confessed role in installing the failed Buhari-led administration that subjugated the people, brought excruciating economic hardship, acute poverty, bloodletting, terrorism, mass killings, promoted disunity, tribalism and nepotism, lawlessness, massive treasury looting and unpardonable life-discounting experiences to our country.

“It is indeed reprehensible that Asiwaju, after being handed an APC flag that refused to unfold in recognition of the gloomy times of the APC, did not demonstrate any form of remorse for the injuries he engineered and caused our nation in the last seven years. 

 “His failure to express empathy for the victims of violence, kidnapping, mass killings and acts of terrorism, especially the recent gruesome attack in a sacred place of worship, St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State serves as a foretaste of the big cover up and harrowing experience that Nigerians will face, God forbid, should Asiwaju emerge as President in 2023.

“His acceptance speech further exposed his manifest lack of capacity, presence of mind, resourcefulness and selflessness to manage the affairs of a nation as complex as Nigeria.

 “From Asiwaju’s egotistic outbursts before and after the APC manipulative National Convention, it is crystal clear that his life-long dream of clinching the APC Presidential ticket is not for the wellbeing of Nigerians but out of desperation to lay hands on the keys to the nation’s treasury.

“Asiwaju has insulted the sensibilities of Nigerians enough and this APC National Convention will be his final political outing. This is because Nigerians have had enough and are now, more than ever before, ready and out on the platform of the PDP to defend our nation and reject Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2023 Presidential election.

“The Nigerian politics is far more complex and beyond the Lagos politics where Asiwaju operates with brawl and deployment of violence rather than brain”. 

PDP said what Nigerians needed “now is a unifier in the face of the pain and discomfort inflicted by APC.

The party also charged Nigerians to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with its presidential candidate.

Govs meet on Atiku’s running mate

Meanwhile, ahead of next year’s election, Sokoto state Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has disclosed that the issue of running mate was part of the governors’ discussion with the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Abubakar.

The Waziri Adamawa had Wednesday held a closed door meeting with the PDP governors in Abuja.

 Blueprint gathered that the meeting mostly centered on the issue of running mate for Atiku.

Briefing journalists shortly after the meeting, Governor Tambuwal, who also doubles as chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, revealed that the governors were being consulted on running mate option.

He said: “On behalf of my colleagues, the governors, let me commend the leadership of the party and members of our party for a very successful national convention. 

“The National Chairman along with the candidate came to thank the governors for their roles at the convention. 

“We talked about cooperation and collaboration in prosecuting a very successful electioneering campaign that will result into victories for the PDP at various elections from the state house of assembly, national election, governorship and the presidential election come February, 2023. 

“It is more of a consultative meeting on matters concerning the way forward.”

Asked if the issue of running mate came up at the meeting, Tambuwal said, “it is part of the consultation, it’s ongoing and governors are also being consulted on that.”

At the meeting were the PDP national chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu; Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo States.