Atiku: I Remain Loyal to Buhari

A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged his loyalty and support to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr. Abubakar’s pledge is contained in a statement on Sunday by his media office.

“Make no mistake about it Atiku Abubakar holds Buhari in the highest esteem, and would always remain loyal to him, and support him in every endeavour to succeed as president,” the statement signed by the head of the media team, Paul Ibe, said.

Mr. Abubakar’s pledge comes amidst rumours that he was a mastermind of the emergence of Bukola Saraki as the senate president. Mr. Saraki, who like Mr. Abubakar is a member of President Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, emerged senate president contrary to wish of his party. He got a block support of opposition senators of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to emerge senate president at an election were 51 APC senators were absent due to a scheduled meeting with Mr. Buhari.

Since his emergence, which was initially rejected by the APC, Mr. Saraki has been making efforts to reconcile with the president.

Mr. Abubakar, who like Mr. Saraki decamped from the PDP to APC before the general elections, described the politics of the emergence of Mr. Saraki as a product “of interplay of politics which is itself in constant motion.”

Read the former vice president’s statement below.

A former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar says it is dangerous for any individual or group in the ranks of the ruling party to constitute themselves into an opposition even before the constitution and take off President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

The former Vice President made the call against the backdrop of developments in the polity, which he notes are interplay of forces and interests that are dynamic, but must not be promoted to the point of being a threat to our democracy and the new administration.

In a press statement released by his media office in Abuja on Sunday, 21 June and signed by Paul Ibe, the Turaki Adamawa while acknowledging that it is legitimate and desirable for individuals or groups to seek to pursue their interest, it must be done with the benefit of sustaining our democracy and promoting equity, fair play and justice in mind.

“Anything to the contrary may jeopardise our hard-earned democracy and constitute a clog in the wheel of the new administration,” Atiku said.

He noted that because of the historic nature of the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari and the arduous challenges ahead to deliver on making Nigeria work for all Nigerians, it is important, especially for members of his own party, to rally behind him in the quest to enthrone good governance, that will spur security and stability, economic and social development, job creation, infrastructure renewal and above all a better life for Nigerians.

The former Vice President urged members of the APC to emulate the unity of all the presidential contestants after the party’s Lagos primaries and support the President to form his government and get to work.

The statement exonerated Atiku Abubakar of the purported hijack of the party and the National Assembly towards 2019 as figment of the imagination of those promoting it and asked Nigerians to ignore all such insinuation.

He notes that the recent outcomes of the National Assembly election contrary to insinuations are products of interplay of politics which is itself in constant motion.

“In politics, it is a mistake to expect fixed outcomes. As the President has done, let’s all come to terms with what has happened in the interest of the system and move on.

Suffice it to say that the new administration should be allowed a smooth take off and be allowed the atmosphere to deliver. On this, I stand with President Buhari,” Atiku said.

The Turaki Adamawa while restating his unalloyed commitment to the Buhari administration pledged to back this commitment with all of the assets at his disposal.

“Not only did Atiku Abubakar congratulate Buhari after his emergence as the presidential candidate of the APC at the party’s national convention in Lagos, he also handed over his best assets to the Buhari Presidential Campaign. The former Vice President enthusiastically handled the diplomatic assignment of seeking endorsement for Dr. Adesina as the President of the African Development Bank on behalf of President Buhari and would be available for any other assignments as the President pleases.

“Make no mistake about it Atiku Abubakar holds Buhari in the highest esteem, and would always remain loyal to him, and support him in every endeavour to succeed as president.”

The APC chieftain also called on Nigerians with members of the President’s own party taking a lead in their undiluted support of his administration.

“We, the members of the President’s own family need to lead in this direction for others to follow for the good of our nation and its peoples.”

Atiku Abubakar denounced the increasing determination of some people to draw a wedge between President Buhari and himself.

“It has become crystal clear even to the blind that the motives of these hatchet men who are desperate to take every available newspaper space is to insult, vilify and calumniate the former Vice President.

“We cannot allow liars, denigrators and blackmailers and their sponsors to use Atiku as platform to ingratiate themselves with President Buhari and hijack his presidency under the pretext of loving him more than anyone else. These political ventriloquists are hiding behind the cover of anonymity to achieve their sinister agenda of making Atiku the fall guy in the unfolding political developments.”