Kachikwu berates Atiku, warns Obi not to accept Vice Presidential slot
Dumebi Kachikwu, a former Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has warned Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party flag-bearer, not to yield to the pressure of running a joint ticket with former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in view of the 2027 general election.
He made this known during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, calling such alliance unjust and politically immoral, considering Nigeria’s power rotation formula.
“It is morally right for anybody from a major party running for 2027 to be from the south. It is equitable. That is all we ask,” he noted.
Kachikwu while accusing northern political actors of power mongering, asserted that power cannot go back to the north just after a 4-year tenure by a southerner, when a northerner completed 8 years in power.
The ex-ADC Presidential candidate derided the coalition for merely seeking power without offering any viable policy alternatives to those of the current administration.
“Have you heard these men who hijacked the ADC tell you what they plan to do about the economy, infrastructural deficit and healthcare? The former President died a few days ago in a London hospital.
“We have not heard any of them address the situation and what they will do concerning this challenge. All they are interested in is ‘President Tinubu has got to go,’” he said.
He further warned Peter Obi not to succumb to the pressure of running a joint ticket with Atiku as Vice President.
“What we are seeing is them recruiting people around Peter Obi to keep singing into his ears that he can’t do it. They are striving to convince him to instead accept to become Atiku’s Vice Presidential candidate. What manner of rubbish is that? He must not accept it. That is their strategy. Obi has all it takes to aspire and win an election. He has the brain.”
Kachikwu also accused the coalition of trying to hijack the ADC structure through inducements and bribes, while citing historical precedent of Atiku’s power pursuit.
“They are offering some of the state chairmen as much as N20,000,000 to resign their positions, which goes to show that their intentions are not honourable”, he alleged.
“He almost truncated President Obasanjo’s return for a second term because he believed the seat was his. President Jonathan suffered the same fate. It was most unjust and unfair and led to the current disintegration of that party,” Kachikwu added.
He further challenged the ex-Vice President to support the zoning of power to the south for the sake of fairness and equity, and to prove his assertions wrong.
