ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Mr. Osita Okechukwu, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), on Sunday said the breach of the power rotation principle is crippling Atiku Abubakar’s last bid to rule Nigeria.
Abubakar is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
Okechukwu, a foundation member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), stated this in response to the APC Northern Governors’ letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on 4 June, 2022, as evidence that the rotation of the presidency between the North and South is intended to unite the country.
He quoted the governors as saying that “After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for 2023 election should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria.
Also, the VON DG recalled former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s statement on the matter as saying: “I am very much aware that it’s the turn of the South to produce the next President of Nigeria. I was part of the meeting when the agreement was made between Northern and Southern Leaders. I am even surprised PDP gave her ticket to another North candidate.
Consequently, Okechukwu remarked that it would be a difficult task for Atiku in his mission to divide North and South to defeat the APC Northern Governors’ Forum, President Muhammadu Buhari, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and a host of other unifier patriots like Afenifere Leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Governor Wike, Chief Edwin Clark and uncountable unifier patriots who support power shift from North to South.
He told journalists on Sunday that: “My take is that Atiku is not a unifier and cannot defeat the Northern Governors’ Forum, Buhari, Obasanjo, Adebanjo, Clark and sophisticated northern electorate by his mission to win by dividing the north and the south.
“The Northern electorate are very sophisticated. They voted for Zik, Abiola and Obasanjo.
“Truly, take it or leave it, Governor Nyesom Wike’s main grouse is Atiku’s violent breach of PDP’s Constitution, manipulation of Governor Aminu Tambuwal and our fault lines.
“My bet is that the wound of Machiavellian dosage Atiku infested the PDP is not likely going to heal before 2023 presidential election.
“These unifier patriotic forces won’t allow him no matter his gusto to trample and rubbish the good works of patriots who sacrificed their presidential ambition and instituted the rotation convention in our political firmament.”
Responding to suggestions that Atiku may be running on the trajectory that democracy confers right to vote and be voted for, the DG VON stated that although democracy provides for freedom as one of its ethos, if others had engaged in unforced error breach of rotation convention, and division of north and south, Obasanjo could have imposed Sir Peter Odili as President in 2007, instead of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
He therefore challenged all unifiers and genuine democrats “to join hands and stop His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, before he divides the north and the south by rubbishing the political power rotation arrangement between the North and South, which is the bond of our unity and the health of our democracy.”