By Mixed reactions have trailed the comment of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections.
Speaking on Saturday after meeting his former boss, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku had boasted that he was certain of getting the PDP ticket, saying he had never failed in the past.
The former Vice President also challenged younger politicians to compete with the elders if they want to rule Nigeria. His statement has since generated mixed reactions in the political space, particularly in the PDP fold.
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike slammed Atiku for boasting that he will always clinch the PDP ticket, saying his declaration could amount to taking convention delegates for granted.
“I didn’t expect him (Atiku), frankly speaking, to say that he will always take the ticket of the party.
“That is going too far and taking the delegates for granted,” Wike was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson on Sunday.
Also reacting, a PDP chieftain, Kassim Afegbua advised former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, to forget his presidential ambition by supporting a younger aspirant from the South.
In a statement on Sunday, Afegbua, a former campaign spokesperson for Atiku said, “Anything short of that will amount to usurping the opportunity, position and chance of the Southern axis to produce the party’s candidate. That will be a direct assault on our collective sensibilities.
“In 2023, Atiku should be thinking of how to support younger Nigerians from the South of the country to pursue the presidential aspiration of the opposition party.
“Atiku has always supported zoning and should not play the ostrich this time because of his selfish aspiration. Power cannot reside in the North for 16 unbroken years.”
