A former Commissioner for Information in Edo state, Prince Kassim Afegbua has revealed that the choice of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023 would be a bad sell for the party.
In an opinion piece, Afegbua said the PDP ought to be the saviour but for fielding Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, it has wittingly hurted the conscience of the nation, its unity, cohesion and power sharing agreement.
“After 8 years of a Buhari presidency, a Nigerian of Northern extraction, it will amount to a Democratic sacrilege to cede power to another Nigerian of Northern extraction, from the same ethnic stock as President Buhari.”
“Such reality will erode the very fragile unity and peace in the land, and may snowball into another war of attrition between the North and the South.
“The reality of the situation made the APC Northern Governors rise to the occasion by ensuring that the ruling party’s ticket was given to a Southerner. Under a democracy, the concept of balancing the factors in both power acquisition and distribution is very fundamental to stabilise the system. In all plural societies, the nation-states must be adequately carried along with a sense of inclusion to birth the required stability.
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“What Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has done with his desperation for power is to inflict injuries to an already fragile situation that may implode in no time. Atiku Abubakar’s aspiration will not only ruin the conversation for national peace and stability, it will provoke new thought-process that could signal the end of a united Nigeria.
He said the deliberate attempt to shortchange the chances of the South within the PDP by agents of political gluttony, can only drive Nigeria’s collective aspiration to the Golgotha if care, commonsense and diplomacy are not deployed.
“All those who are fanning the members of an Atiku presidency for their selfish end, would soon realise the danger it portends for the unity of the country. We must realise that democracy flourishes in an atmosphere of stability and tranquility.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had an opportunity in 2019 in line with the requirements of zoning enshrined in the PDP constitution, but he bungled it. After he abandoned the party and ran away to Dubai, he had no business buying his way to represent the party in 2023.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar cannot surreptitiously hijack the opportunity of the South because of his vaulting ambition. At 77, there is nothing edifying about his capacity and capability. He should be told to stop this deliberate hijack of the Southern opportunity. It will haunt us now and in the future.