The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, as a dangerously desperate politician who is ready to do anything to get power.
BMO stated this in a statement on Sunday while reacting to a statement by the opposition party that its presidential candidate is democratic hero like the late MKO and Dr. Ekwueme.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Casiddy Madueke, in Abuja, BMO said it is laughable that Atiku media handlers could attempt to configure a not-too-recent history by passing off Atiku Abubakar, not only as a democrat, but to also compare him with more distinguished Nigerians like Moshood Abiola and Alex Ekwueme both of blessed memory.
BMO warned the former Vice president and his media handlers not to rubbish history with false narratives on the actual role he played in the dying days of military rule.
“His media aides want Nigerians to believe that he joined forces with MKO Abiola and Ekwueme to fight the then Abacha dictatorship, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
“Atiku is a dangerously desperate politician that is known to have threatened violence at a forum in Abuja, shortly after he lost the PDP Presidential ticket in a bitter contest to the then President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2011 election.
“Before then, there was unprecedented intra-party acrimony that was so characterised by mudslinging that the then opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had to issue a statement calling for peace in the ranks of the ruling PDP.
“These facts are very much in the public domain, so it is preposterous that the Atiku camp is seeking to feed Nigerians with a red herring,” the group said.
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“Nigerians would recall that Atiku Abubakar was a ranking member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on whose platform Abiola ran for the Presidency on June 12 1993, but since he lost out in his bid to be the running mate to Abiola, he clearly went off the political radar and was not even known to play a major role in the electioneering campaigns.
“There was also no record of his participation in efforts spearheaded by activists to force the military government to respect the wish of the people, neither was he one of those who publicly took on Abacha when he usurped power.
“And even when Ekwueme took up the gauntlet to lead the political opposition against the late General Abacha, Atiku was never part of the politicians in the forefront of an initiative that began as G9 but later metamorphosed into G18 and G34 respectively.
The group maintained that the only time Atiku and Ekwueme could be mentioned in the same sentence is when a list of the country’s former Vice Presidents is drawn.