Members of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) in their respective 34 political parties in Ogun State have adopted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as their candidate in the presidential election holding on February 16, 2019.
At an enlarged meeting on Thursday at the Shagamu residence of the former Governor of Ogun State and Deputy Chairman, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, (South), Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the leadership of the political parties and their candidates unanimously agreed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed in its electoral promises to the people, and therefore, resolved to endorse Atiku Abubakar as a credible alternative candidate in the presidential election.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Afenifere; the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Igbo, Hausa and South-South Communities, as well as representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
Chief Razak Eyiowuawi, National Chairman of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and Assistant Secretary of the Steering Committee of CUPP, had explained that the reason for the endorsement is to save Nigeria from insecurity, violence and hardship which has become the order of the day. He noted that the only way out of the impending danger is to vote out the ruling party by coming together as one united front to usher in a new administration.
The coming elections, he said, is not for Nigerians as individuals but for incoming generations.
Chief Eyiowuawi, commended Otunba Gbenga Daniel for his inspiration to a lot of people in his visionary ideas over the years with his political influence cutting across all divides.
Former Chairman and House of Representatives candidate of the Labour Party in Ogun State, Comrade Niyi Osoba, noted that the present government has failed in its entirety. He said that it will be shameful if the APC is returned to power under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari who has constantly exhibited lack of capacity to govern.
Otunba Tayo Onayemi, former local government chairman and Alliance for Democracy (AD) chieftain, also said that the incompetence of the Buhari administration is very conspicuous, noting that the government has failed since inception, emphasizing the need for change.
Otunba Daniel thanked the leadership of the coalition for their sensitiveness and concern for the nation’s future and welfare of her citizenry.
The former Ogun Governor that the current situation in the country calls for a radical departure from the status quo and this could only be achieved through collective efforts and engagement of all well-meaning Nigerians irrespective of their political inclination.
“The coming election will be very close, hence, everybody’s vote matters.
“What you have done today has further driven home the decision by 47 political parties throughout the federation which had earlier pledged their support for Atiku Abubakar at the national level,” he declared.
He further noted that “… the current government based its campaign on three major issues of provision of security, fighting corruption and improvement of the economy none of which they executed…” He was of the view that they, instead, revised the fortunes of the country from one of the largest economies in the third world during former President Jonathan’s era to poverty capital of the world according to global statistics.
“It has come to a stage where we have to rescue the country and this cannot be successfully done by one political party but a joint effort of all.
“It’s, therefore, becomes expedient to present a formidable united front to wrest power form the incumbent party, APC.
“The choice of Atiku as the preferred candidate is germane because everybody will have a sense of belonging in the government of inclusiveness of the PDP under the watch of the former Vice President Atiku who has promised to restructure the country on assumption of office”, Daniel declared.