APC says Ohaneze’s endorsement of Atiku dubious

Tom Okpe, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the endorsement of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dubious, warning the Igbo race not to fall to the political wrangling of the opposition party. The major Igbo social political group on Thursday released a communiqué after a meeting to endorse the candidature of the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. In reaction to the development on Friday in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in a press conference said Ndigbo should not forget that it was during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku as vice President that Nigeria’s political history witnessed the frequent manipulated changes to the Senate Presidency and setting Igbo brothers against one another for political gains. He said: “Our observation comes against the backdrop of the now disputed ‘communiqué’ issued by some members of Ohaneze Ndigbo on the 2019 general elections. “With a few members of Ohaneze falling for Atiku’s antics, it has now become clear that the purported endorsement of Atiku’s presidential ambition does not enjoy the support of most of the Igbos. One of such proof is the statement by the Anambra State Government’s dissociating the state from the dubious endorsement of Atiku contained in the equally disputed communiqué. “It would now seem that few people in Ohaneze are trying to misrepresent the interest of the Ndigbo and we wonder whether these people are part of Atiku’s friends that he has promised to make rich as a cardinal policy of his government”. On restructuring been portrayed by Alhaji Atiku Abubaka, the party said: “Atiku has refused to speak on the nature of restructuring he championed. But little wonder because he is transactional in nature. Atiku has no plan for this country and he is not pretending about it. He has said it clearly and on many occasions that he is seeking power to be able to sell off national assets to make his friends and himself rich. There is no doubt that Atiku only intends to use and dump the Igbo people. “Currently, the roads and bridges, which are spread across the five states in the South-east, are in different stages of completion, thanks to the funding sourced by the president Buhari-led APC administration from budgetary allocations, the Sukuk Bond and the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund. “Without playing to the gallery, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration has pursued a deliberate policy of probity, inclusive governance and national spread in the allocation of our national resources and developmental projects across the country. “In particular, about 69 verifiable road and bridge projects are ongoing in the southeast. This is unprecedented in the history of our nation. Although the contracts for many of the roads were awarded by past PDP administrations, they were either poorly funded or not funded, hence work on the road and bridge projects were previously stalled. “Ndigbo and indeed all Nigerians must be wary of the machinations of conmen who now masquerade as ‘messiahs’ in the garb of politicians. Their antecedents does not synchronise with the image they now purport which is dangerous”.