Atiku Abubakar/Peter Obi ticket, a Balanced One – Northern Elders
Zainab Tanimu
Kaduna, North-West, NIGERIA
Reactions have continued to trail over the choice of Peter Obi as Atiku’s running mate.
While some politicians see the choice of the Ex-Governor of Anambra state as a blessing for PDP, some see it otherwise.
Whichever way, some political observers believe that there is more to it that meets the eyes for the PDP presidential candidate to have settled for Peter Obi.
It was however whispered that even though Atiku told Igbo stakeholders to pick their choice from the 3 names forwarded to him which included the Deputy President of the Senate, Ekweremadu and Ben Obi, he had peter Obi in mind.
In its own reaction, the Northern Elders see the choice of Peter Obi as a welcome idea.
Elder statesman and Chairman of the Northern Elders’ Council (NEC), Alhaji Tanko Yakassai in a statement described Atiku’s choice as a balanced one owing to the fact that Obi is a Christian and from the South-East.
He, however, expressed doubt whether the choice of Peter Obi is the collective choice of the majority of the people of the South East.
The statement read: “ It was expected all along that the slot of the Vice President should go to the South East for the PDP as APC has chosen the South West.
“What is not ascertained is whether the choice of Peter Obi is the collective choice of the majority of the people of the South East.
“Atiku Abubakar/Peter Obi ticket is a very good one. Atiku Abubakar is a Muslim from the North while Peter Obi is a Christian from the South just as Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim from the North and Yemi Osinbajo is a Christian from the South. Everything is balanced.”
Meanwhile, News Agency of Nigeria said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Anambra State chapter, has described the choice of ex-Governor Peter Obi as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, as a great honour to one of its founding fathers, late Dr. Alex Ekwueme.
Chairman of PDP in Anambra State, Ndubuisi Nwobu, said this while reacting to the announcement of Obi as Atiku’s running mate, in an interview in Awka.
“During the campaigns, we told the aspirants that they should consider Anambra strongly for the slot of Vice President as a sign of appreciation to Late Dr Ekwueme for his great work as a founding father of PDP.
Nwobu hailed the nomination as a “round peg in a round hole”.
“It is a welcome development, the choice of Obi is that of a round peg in a round hole, a governor that set Anambra on a pedestal for economic growth and left huge dune of money for future generation.
“For the chapter here in Anambra, we are happy that Obi was picked and we are fully of confidence that the Atiku/Obi ticket is the magic wand Nigeria needs in all sectors especially economy,” he said.
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere had also reacted to the choice of Peter Obi as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.
Speaking on Atiku’s decision, as reported by Daily Post, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin in a short statement urged both Atiku and Obi to remain steadfast in restructuring the country.
The statement read: “All we are concerned about at this stage is, there were commitments by Atiku about the restructuring of Nigeria.
“If it is true that he has picked Peter Obi as his running mate, he should join him to work out clear cut programme on restructuring and ensure that he remains steadfast on that because that is the main issue that will determine the next election.”
The Legal Adviser, PDP South East Zone Mr Ukpai Ukairo, speaking with the News agency of Nigeria, NAN, described the choice of Obi as perfect.
Ukairo said Obi had one of the best track records of performance during his time as governor in Anambra, hence he would bring value and industry to the economy and governance of the country if the party wins the election.
He noted that the fundamentals of the PDP ticket were the tenure issue and the restructuring of the country which the candidates had subscribed to.
“It is better for us to leverage on this to restructure the country, rather than living in a Nigeria that is not working,” Ukairo said.
Mr Raph Egbu, former information commissioner in Abia, said that as an experienced technocrat, Obi would bring quality leadership to bear in the governance of the country.
Egbu, who is a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that the ticket would give the zone the needed sense of belonging in the affairs of the country.
“Atiku is an experienced politician and must have taken a look at the numbers and what would happen in the various zones during the election.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is not a new candidate and will be assessed by his performance. If Atiku can contest fairly in the North and the South West, then anything can happen,” Egbu said.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Justice Reform Sector, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu said the Atiku/Obi ticket is not a threat to Buhari in the zone and beyond.
Ibekaku-Nwagwu said that the current administration had performed well in all areas of the economy in spite of the challenges it faced.
She said that the South East remained a stronghold for the APC considering the unprecedented upgrade of infrastructure by the Buhari administration.
The presidential aide said that party faithful in the zone would mobilise effective support for the president come 2019.
Mr Osita Okechukwu, another chieftain of the APC, said that though the choice of Obi was a great one but the zone needed to know that ‘all that glitters is not gold’.
Okechukwu, who is the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, said that the Atiku/Obi ticket was basically driven by a promise to restructure the country as well as to do one term in office.
He said that Nigerians needed not to fall to the restructuring sentiments, adding “even the zone that the PDP presidential candidate hails from is opposed to restructuring. So how will he achieve it?
“Even the commitment to serve for one term is not tenable and we still believe that the interest of the South East is better served in APC,” he said.
Okechukwu urged electorates from the zone not to be carried away by the antics of the opposition, adding that South East would have a grip of the presidency in 2023 under the APC.
