Atiku is the presidential candidate of the opposition PDP for the 2023 election.
The Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council has berated the vice-presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima over his comment against Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the opposition PDP for the 2023 election.
Shettima had at a town hall meeting with business leaders in Lagos said Atiku cannot be likened to former United States President Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln, revered for helping to end slavery, served as US president from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. But before becoming President, Lincoln suffered many disappointments including losing bids to become House Speaker and get nominated for Congress.
Atiku has contested for President five times – 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.
Shettima said Abubakar, who was Vice-President from 1999 to 2007, does not have the capacity to lead Nigeria.
“Leadership has got beyond the statesman… someone who cannot unite his party. I wonder how he is going to unite this nation,” he said.
“The world is talking about artificial intelligence, big data, and nanotechnology. The training that the elder statesman got from the Kano school of hygiene was that of a ‘wole wole’. And believe me, the ability to sell bottled water doesn’t make one an expert on the economy.
“My parting shot is that Atiku Abubakar is no Abraham Lincoln, he is more of Raila Odinga and come next year, we are going to permanently retire the political tourist to Dubai.”
Reacting, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council Director of Strategic Communications, Dele Momodu said everything about APC and its candidate, Bola Tinubu has been shrouded in secrecy.
The statement read, “We have watched in utter incredulity and amazement the boldfaced speech made yesterday by the APC Vice Presidential candidate, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, at an event in Lagos.
“He alleged gleefully that the PDP Presidential candidate, H.E Atiku Abubakar (GCON) cannot unite Nigeria when ‘he has not united his own political party’.
“It is our belief that Alhaji Shettima, in a moment of deliberate amnesia, must have tried to point fingers at the specks in another man's eyes while studiously ignoring the giant logs in his own eyes. The APC is in total disarray with prominent members of his party openly apologizing to Nigerians for the unmitigated disaster it has foisted on Nigeria since 2015.
“This is one of the reasons APC members have been migrating in droves to PDP. It took almost forever for APC to achieve the simple task of constituting its Presidential Campaign Council, due to the total lack of unity in their party. It is very obvious that APC has become completely rudderless and many self-respecting members are jumping ship and being recovered by PDP.
“How can these APC candidates ever unite Nigerians when they've shown open disdain for the democratic and voting rights of certain ethnic groups within their domains?
“Everything about APC and its candidates has been shrouded in secrecy and they are just unable to tell Nigerians the truth about anything. How can Nigerians be expected to place their faith in such mysterious characters?
“Alhaji Shettima alleged that Atiku Abubakar cannot be trusted with the economy of Nigeria. No heresy could be worse than this. Nigerians would want to know what businesses the APC candidates have managed personally and successfully except living outlandishly on government booty and largesse. Atiku Abubakar started business as a teenager and served meritoriously as a government officer in the Customs where he assisted so many Igbo traders, according to available testimonies.
“In Atiku's private life, he remains one of the biggest employers of labour in Nigeria. He has brought jobs to Nigerians instead of shipping jobs out.
“How can APC be expected to guarantee the safety of lives and properties when right under the watch of Alhaji Shettima as Governor of Borno State, Boko Haram became an intractable menace and Nigeria is yet to fully recover till this day?
“PDP is extremely proud of its antecedents and former Vice President ATIKU ABUBAKAR and Governor IFEANYICHUKWU OKOWA are fully ready to recover Nigeria from the hands of the most incompetent leaders in the history of Nigeria.”