The All Progressives Congress
(APC) presidential campaign council has dismissed the endorsement of Atiku
Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by some
socio-cultural groups.
Festus Keyamo, the council spokesman,
said the endorsement was engineered and carried out by PDP members and
sympathisers.
Earlier on Sunday, five top
socio-cultural organisations in the country – namely the Pan Niger Delta Forum
(PANDEF), Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and Middle
Belt Forum (MBF) – adopted Atiku, saying he has shown that he will restructure
the country if given the mandate.
But reacting via a statement,
Keyamo said the same groups had supported the PDP in the 2015 presidential
election but the party was still defeated nonetheless.
“As regards the endorsements by
the socio-cultural groups, there is no fraud bigger than that of known PDP
members and/or hardened PDP sympathizers wearing the apparel of socio-cultural
groups, purporting to represent entire regions and endorsing their own
political party,” the statement read.
“Their excuse that they are
supporting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar because of the bogey called ‘restructuring’ is
nothing but a subterfuge. In any case, Ohaneze had said in its earlier release
that the first reason they are endorsing Atiku Abubakar is that his running
mate is an Ibo man.”
He said while some of the leaders
of the various groups have enjoyed government patronage in the past, the
proceeds of such patronage have “never trickled down to their people they
purport to represent.”
He said this is “in tune with the
campaign promise of Atiku Abubakar to enrich only his friends” and as such,
“like bees and honey, these people and Atiku Abubakar are attracted to
themselves.”
“Unfortunately for them,
President Muhammadu Buhari has managed to navigate his way directly to the
masses who they purport to represent and is ensuring that the dividends of
democracy reach the people directly,” Keyamo added.
“Their annoyance is that they
have been eliminated as middlemen. That is why the bond between the masses and
President Muhammadu Buhari continue to grow on a daily basis.”
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