The Atiku Diaspora Support Group, a political group in support of the PDP Presidential Candidate, has pledged to mobilize votes in millions for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the February Presidential election
The Founder of the group, Chief Franklin Ekechukwu, in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, said that the forum had commenced engagements within and outside the country to mobilize votes for Atiku and his running mate, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa.
“He (Atiku Abubakar) is the most prepared candidate to lead the nation at this critical time,” Ekechukwu said.
He said that Atiku remained the only presidential candidate with recovery blueprints and courage to unify the nation by ending divisions and hate among various ethnic groups.
According to him, the former vice president has the experience to hit the ground running on the first day of assumption of office to address challenges bedeviling Nigeria.
He listed such challenges to include insecurity, poverty, rising debts and inflation, infrastructure decay, and breakdown of law and order.
Ekechukwu said: “It can only take a man who sees Nigeria as one to unify the country and restore law and order, a man who understands how the financial cubicle works, that man is Atiku Abubakar.
“We can discuss his experience as a civil servant, as vice president, and as a successful businessman, these add to his preparedness.
“We can say he is the only man in Nigerian today, whose home represents Nigeria and again, this support his mantra of “Unity, The Unifier.”
“In this critical election, the nation cannot afford to elect someone that will learn on the job, nor can it afford the current administration to continue as it is. The nation and the people deserve someone that knows what to do on his first day at work.”
Describing Nigerians as very smart people, Ekechukwu said, “sufferings that they have gone through in recent years should be enough to redirect their intention to doing the right thing even if they do not want to, by electing the man who can rescue Nigeria”.
He revealed that the group had chapters in all 36 states, including Abuja as well as coordinators at the state, local government, and ward levels.
He said: “Our members are going door to door, knocking at every door and preaching Atiku, they are currently doing that which is needed to garner support across the country.
“If all goes well, millions of people will be mobilized for Atiku Abubakar come to 2023 election.
He said that the group also had structures both in Nigeria and in Diaspora that had been going to the grassroots to sell Atiku Abubakar.
Ekechukwu said: “We have a structure in all the 36 states of the federal, as every politics is local. Here in the US, we have learned to go back to the grassroots.
“It is that method we have adopted here. One of the most effective ways is to do the door-to-door, village by village, speaking to friends and making sure that our candidate is noticed.
“We also work very hard every day to project our principal in all social media. Luckily for us, Abubakar is very easy to sell. He is a man of integrity, and his personality alone makes it very easy.”
He urged INEC and all its staff and officials to be truly independent and follow the new electoral law to the letter “regardless of whose ox is gored”.