Sidelined allegation: Atiku lied – APC 

…Urges Women Minister to ‘urgently’ resign

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of telling lies and ditching out ‘misleading’ statements about the party, asking him to stop.

The party also came down hard on the Minister for Women Affairs, Haj. Aisha Alhassan, urging her to to do the needful and resign from the cabinet, saying “you cannot eat your cake and have it”

Addressing newsmen on Friday in Abuja on behalf of the APC, the National Vice Chairman, North West of the party, Alh. Inuwa Abdulkadir cautioned the former Vice President to exercise restraint in the sort of statements he makes to the public as a chieftain of the party.

Abdulkadir who said the reaction became necessary considering the fact that President Muhammdu Buhari is from his zone.

Abdulkadir said: “People of such statue and reckoning in this country, particularly the former Vice President, of this great nation, he has attained the position of a statesman and what we expect of him is nothing less than that. By virtue of his former office and his age, he is qualified to be a statesman but when you reach that statue and age there are certain things you have to come to terms with which is to exhibit a high sense of decorum in your conduct, you have to guard what you say, how you say it and when you say it because what is expected of you as a statesman is nothing but factual.

“Secondly, majority of the people look up to them to provide leadership in the sense that from what you say, people can learn a lot.

“Of recent Atiku has made some statements to the effect that or create an impression of the failure of the party and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. At that level, good party members, especially of his status should not be seen to be making public statements even if those criticisms are factual, whereas in this case some of these statements were misleading and incorrect.

While calling on Atiku to exercise restraint in his public statements, he said: “These statements give an impression as if there is a crack in the house and in the party or that the party is not doing all that which it ought. Secondly, ordinarily I wouldn’t have responded to the statement. As leaders, we shouldn’t be seen as joining issues in the public domain but since he has made a public statement, the public is entitled to get the other side or be told the truth.”

On the Former Vice President’s contribution to the success of APC in the 2015 general elections, he added that “Yes, Atiku like many others made certain contributions in the 2015 elections and in building the party but the bigger picture which he gave is not correct. The north west zone which I represent had eight presidential campaign rallies which Atiku did not attend any.

“Yes, he added value by his personality, but there are so many other members of the party, that made financial contribution and added electoral value. North West is the most populous zone in terms of the APC membership and in terms of electoral victory, not only to the president but we have seven state governors and 20 out of the 21 senators in the zone are from the APC.”

On Aisha Alhassan, Abdulkadir said: “You are making such suggestion in respect of your principal in public, this is something that she can discuss with her principal to express to him so that he (President) will know her position. And if you feel like it should be public then you are saying that I’m no longer comfortable with this situation, if this situation should continue I’m not comfortable with it.

“Whether Buahri has said that he will re-contest or not is immaterial, what is material as serving Minister, you should not be seen to be making public statement that suggest that they are not on the same page with the team because she is a member of a team.

“In order places the right thing is for her to resign, that she can no longer continue to be in this thing because my spirit and my thought is not in conformity with this team, so we can no more work together. She is entitled to that. So, you can not you eat your cake and have it, that is the situation. As high as that office is people resign and leave on principle that if not that I’m a member of APC I would not have accepted to serve but I’m not convince still, so I think giving an opportunity to somebody else I will support him not you”

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