Buba Galadima, a former National Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has revealed why he believed Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, could never emerge Nigeria’s President at the February 2023 presidential election.
During a phone conversation with the Whistler, Galadima stated that Atiku had zero chances of winning the upcoming presidential election, saying that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, had already occupied the backbone of the main opposition PDP, South East.
Also speaking on Atiku’s chances in South-South, he stated that Nyesom Wike, the executive Governor of Rivers State had used his influence to dominate the region against Atiku.
Galadima blasted the former Vice President, saying he had compromised the media by giving money to them to suppress Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP.
He alleged that Atiku was financing all kinds of lies against Kwankwaso in the Northern region.
The NNPP Chieftain who is a very good ally of Kwankwaso, insisted that Northern Nigeria preferred the NNPP candidate to Atiku, adding that the former Vice President had not done anything for the North.
He further pointed out that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, though had not also done anything for the North, but had a better chance of performing more than Atiku in the region.
According to him: “Kwankwaso has the support of 75 to 80% of Northern Nigeria, not Atiku because it is him they have trust in, he’s the one that they know performed. Is there anything you can show me that Atiku used to favour the North as Kwankwaso did? Kwankwaso is more experienced in a wider range of things.
“Atiku has compromised the media by giving away money to suppress Kwankwaso, and they keep on asking silly questions like, ‘Is it true that you are going to step down for Atiku’ all the time, even after he has said one million times that he is not.
“Let him test his popularity; he’s the one that is using all manner of tactics, including the press to discourage our supporters. ‘Kwankwaso has no money, Kwankwaso is not going to win, Kwankwaso is in a small party, Kwankwaso has not spread himself’, who told him that Kwankwaso has not spread? Did you see him in Lagos, or Asaba or Ogoja? All these things you people see, you are blinded, you can’t say. “
Speaking on the reason for Tinubu’s non-acceptance, he said “ It’s because he has not done anything for the north despite his being in a position of power for years, despite his money that people talk about. What is it that he has done with his money to favour any Northerner anywhere?
“Do you know that Kwankwaso sponsors people to go to school? Even with his own money? Do you know that he still gives 4 slots in his university to every state of the federation, two female, two male? Or when he sponsored 350 Master’s degree applicants from his own pocket? Or when he sponsored 170 PhD students, which included himself, from his pocket. Can your son go to Atiku’s university? So why should he even consider him?
“You should know that up until now, Tinubu is not accepted in the North but he has more of a chance than Atiku because he has governors and the truth is that every governor can struggle to bring in 25%, whether it’s possible or not but its a reality.
“But how can Atiku be president when Peter Obi has the South-East, which is the backbone of the PDP? When Wike is eroding the South-South which is the second backbone of the PDP and Kwankwaso will defeat him in his own polling booth? So how does he become President?”
