Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar stood before a cheering crowd in his home state of Adamawa on Saturday, announcing he will seek the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for president next February.


Decrying the large-scale killings that have touched many parts of the country in recent months before thousands packed into Yola town square at the heart of Nigeria’s north-east, Mr Abubakar said President Muhammadu Buhari’s government would be remembered more for its bloodshed than any development it brought to citizens.

“Today, we are witnessing the most insecure atmosphere,” Mr Abubakar said of the killings largely blamed on herdsmen, bandits and militias, before promising to tackle them headlong if elected. “More people died under APC than people killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Mr Abubakar told a crowd chanting “Atiku! Atiku!” shortly after 2:00 p.m. that he would curtail inflation and unemployment rate in the country, saying Mr Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress have displayed a common lack of capacity when it comes to the issues that matter to citizens the most.

“Today, we have the highest unemployment rate in history of this country, more than one million of our youth are unemployed,” Mr Abubakar said, adding that the PDP would secure the country, ensure unity and security of life and property.

He also hit Mr Buhari at one of his most vulnerable areas: “Today, we are more divided than at any other time in Nigeria’s history.”

The president has been accused of packing key federal offices with people from his region, with critics slamming him as flouting the federal character and affirmative action principles enshrined in federal laws as necessary fabrics for holding an ethnically and religiously diverse entity like NIgeria together.

Mr Buhari has often pushed back against the claims, saying instead that his appointments have been balanced where they are not skewed towards the south.


Mr Abubakar is only one of several top political players eyeing the PDP ticket, having other top contenders like Sule Lamido and Ahmed Makarfi. Recently, political analysts expect the race to get even more fluid when the likes of Musa Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and other elements of the so-called newPDP make their expected formal return to the largest opposition entity.

Yet, Mr Abubakar’s stature as a former vice-president and serial presidential contender with vast political and financial muscle made him a top favourite for the ticket. He has visited most of the southern states for consultations, and his office said he plans to take the tour to all the 36 states before the party’s primaries in a few months’ time.


He also sees himself in a good light, aiming directly at Mr Buhari rather than his party ticket challengers.

But critics are dismissing his campaign as a sideshow that would soon hit the rocks because of Mr Abubakar’s unanswered allegations about corruption.

Still dogging his ambition has been the mystery surrounding his failure to travel to the United States since he was named in a corruption trial in that country the previous decade. He has dismissed all allegations of corruption and challenged his opponents to bring forth any evidence of his culpability in graft practices.


Although Mr Abubakar said the Nigerian Constitution did not require that a citizen must possess American travel credentials to be eligible for presidential election, he also said that he had approached the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria for visa, but was turned down.

One of his close associates told PREMIUM TIMES recently that he may still apply for visa before the 2019 election.

But neither the former vice president nor his aides have agreed to entertain questions about whether they would cooperate with U.S. authorities to release his immigration status to the public. The U.S. border authorities told PREMIUM TIMES in early 2017 that Mr Abubakar’s immigration status could be made public, but only if he gives his legal backing to such disclosure.

With him at today’s rally were Uche Secondus, the party’s chairman, Gbenga Daniel, his campaign director, and Ben Murray-Bruce, a serving senator who also emceed the televised event.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/277290-2019-atiku-declares-presidential-bid-tackles-buhari.html

Atuku ABUBAKAR GCON is our next President. It's time to set Nigeria on the path of greatness.

Not these trabalistic cows currently occupying AsoRock..

Anytin as far as its not buhari.....but Atiku??
Hmmmm

Nairaland polls. Who would you vote for?

Like for ATIKU

share for BUHARI

and the basic point that he attacked Buhari is (for them) another political strategy to buy the minds of gullible Nigerians that he is no longer from the same Fulani enclave with Buhari so that they can vote for him as a new messiah and saint Atiku? zoo politics eeh.

Meanwhile I have a good news for all the middle belterns and Southern Nigerians (Oduduwa territories completely exclusive) that the leadership of indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has extended a hand of fellowship to them all to stand up now and embrace peace security and freedom from their foes who have determined to wipe them off through the on going ethnic cleansing in the above mentioned territories by professing their total support and inclusion in Biafra nation through Biafra Referendum.
The earlier the better.
AllHailBiafra!!!

I wonder where you kept all your "ideas" when you were the vice president for EIGHT YEARS.

Would this work

I believe Atiku would have done better than Buhari....

Same set of skins ..no new mandate ...


Who do us dis tin ...who

Like for Buhari , Share for Atiku

MORE here:


http://fullgist24.com/2018/07/2019-atiku-declares-presidential-bid-tackles-buhari.html

The youth are the leaders of tomorrow...…..

Stage is set, game on.

Hmmm

Okay o...noted

You people should sell this country and give us our share

Good.
Sai Atiku
2019 Buhari is going back to Daura

Ah! Ah! Going 4 Nothing is better to going 4 Atiku. If we could remember vividly, Atiku and His Oga spent good 8yrs on this position. What is/are there outcome? Atiku of all people. Let Buhari continue jor.

My fellow countrymen ..Atiku is the man for the job ...Oya let’s go and Atikulate Nigeria2019

The Dullard is a known terrorist all over the world

Articulation

This is the only person that can give Buhari a run for his money.

If he settles with OBJ and PDP decides to field him, PMB will not find it easy (Even with his rigging)

same old FOLKS,just a different DAY.

He will still loose massively to buhari. But it is also important to have competitive election so that whoever that's in leadership will know he is being checkmated.

Dead on Arrival. (DOA)

Next?

Atiku owns several companies in Nigeria and he is an employer of labour. What stake (real or concealed) does our current President have in Nigeria

However, we don't want his breed of leaders anymore.

BMCs right now...

adsamsom:
The youth are the leaders of tomorrow...…..

Mr Youth....are you a member of a political party? Have you got a political mentor?

Go and join a political party abeg...and stop all this grousing.