Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said defeating
President Muhammadu Buhari will be a cakewalk for him if the president
runs against him in 2019.
Mr. Abubakar said Mr. Buhari has become politically weak after
squandering the goodwill Nigerians accorded him during the 2015
elections.
I will definitely beat him this time. He has wasted a lot of his massive goodwill, Mr. Abubakar said.
The former vice-president was interviewed by Dele Momodu for his
column which was published on Saturday in The Boss Newspaper he
publishes.
He said many associates of Mr. Buhari are furious, but they are
silent about their disapproval of the president, and are waiting for the
right time to strike back.
A lot of people are disgruntled but keeping quiet and lying
low,” Mr. Abubakar said. “Our youths are suffering terribly and now they
are being sold into slavery.”
Everyone knows my track record of inviting and attracting a good team
and giving them the opportunity to work professionally. Nigerians are
tired of leaders who cannot think big and work big,
he added.
Mr. Abubakar said he would be ready from day one should Nigerians elect him president in 2019.
Mr. Abubakar, vice-president from 1999-2007, dumped the ruling All
Progressives Congress last week Friday, citing alleged failure by the
Buhari administration to improve the quality of life in the country and
neglect of the youth in federal cabinet appointment.
His political allies have indicated that Mr. Abubakar was on his way
to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which has opened its doors
to him.
The national spokesperson for the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, countered
Mr. Abubakar’s assertion, saying Mr. Buhari would handily beat the
former president should he stand for re-election.
I believe that the reasons Nigerians voted for President
Buhari in 2015 are still pertinent. They voted President Buhari because
they needed a leader who has integrity, strong on corruption and capable
of defeating Boko Haram.
If he stands for election in 2019, we believe Nigerians would still
vote for him, Mr. Abdullahi said by telephone Saturday afternoon.
President
Buhari has not yet declared his intention to seek re-election although
his recent actions and comments have strongly suggested he will.
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