Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has asked the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abubakar Atiku to step down for him (Tinubu) ahead of the February 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu stated this while speaking at an interactive session with some Northern leaders under the auspices of Arewa Joint Committee on Monday.
He said, “I was one of the youngest strategists with Shehu Musa Yar’adua. I started here in the North. Atiku met me with Yar’adua after he left Nigeria Customs at the time. He met me strategizing for Yar’adua. I’m standing before you saying this, even my greatest rival met me with Yar’Adua; [that is] Atiku Abubakar. Ask him to go and read the civil service regulation.”
Tinubu asked Atiku to reciprocate the “gesture” he accorded him when he contested for the presidency under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007.
He further stated, ““I supported Atiku Abubakar in 2007 then. Don’t blame me if I ask for a payback period. It’s payback. Let him endorse me now instead of him conducting rally around Kaduna while I’m talking to you people here.
“They asked him questions: ‘how did you make money?’ He said from selling cars. Can you as a civil servant be involved with other trade and businesses? You have attracted disqualification and you don’t deserve to compete with others. Nuhu Ribadu was on our platform,” he said.
The APC presidential candidate recalled that he dropped his ambition and endorse him (Atiku).
The committee, comprising the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation (ABF), Arewa Research and Development Project, and Jamiyyar Matan Arewa had invited some presidential candidates for an interactive session in Kaduna.
The programme, which started on Saturday, was attended by Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Adewale Adeboye of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Tinubu and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) attended the event in Kaduna today (Monday).
The meeting, according to organizsers, was part of a wider interaction with selected presidential candidates to discuss their plans for the region ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Recall that Atiku, had on Saturday, asked Northerners to vote for him in stead of Igbo or Yoruba candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “What the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the North and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country.
“This is what the Northerner needs. It doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate. I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern origin,” Atiku said in a viral video.
Meanwhile, Atiku’s comments had since triggered mixed reactions from many Nigerians and presidential candidates including the ruling Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
