2023: Donald Duke Takes a Swipe at Atiku Abubakar Ahead of PDP Presidential Primary
- Donald Duke has called on Atiku Abubakar to take a back seat and become a kingmaker ahead of the 2023 presidential election
- The former governor of Cross River state said Atiku's presidential ambition since 1992 is becoming unreasonable
- Adamawa-born Atiku, 75, will be contesting for the presidency for the 6th time after his first attempt in 1992
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Facebook - Former Cross River state governor, Donald Duke has taken a swipe at Atiku Abubakar for his consistent quest to become the president of Nigeria.
Source: Facebook
Duke, 60, stated that Atiku, 75, has been inconsistent with his ideologies by moving from one party to another in the past few years while angling to lead the country.
In a video posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday, March 31, Duke said:
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“Let's take a look at the four leading contestants from the northern part of our party - the PDP. These are the four gentlemen that moved across to APC and produced Buhari. Then come back, and still want the ticket.
“But also, let me focus on Atiku Abubakar. Atiku has been contesting for the presidency since 1992.
“Indeed, there is no election since 1992 that he has not participated in. He ran against Abiola. In 1999, he ran as first as governor, then as vice president.
“In 2003, he picked a form and that was what led to the crisis between him and Obasanjo. In 2007, I think he ran on AD or so. In 2011, he came back to PDP and ran against Jonathan. In 2015, he ran, in 2019, he ran..in 2023, he wants to run. Haba! Na only you dey?
“A time comes when you look at it and say it is enough. Let me be a kingmaker rather than this king. Because when people tell me that they heard from God, I have never heard from God, but you see signs of where he wants you to go.
“If you keep doing one thing over and over again and it is not happening, then God is not with you. Leave this Abraham Lincoln story that he ran many times before he got it, he ran only two times and he got it.
“So, it is becoming ridiculous. What the north wants is not different from what the south wants. But we all want a sense of belonging. That is a commonality among us.
“How do we justify to our children that after eight years of northern leadership, we go back and have another eight years? Ordinarily, I am not a proponent of zoning, but I am a proponent of equity.”
2023: Atiku too old to lead Nigeria, says Activists
Meanwhile, some civil society organisations have declared that they would not support any aged candidate for the presidency in the 2023 general elections.
They spoke against the backdrop of the declaration of Atiku who declared to contest for the presidency under the PDP in the forthcoming elections.
One of such activists, Dare-Ariyo Atoye, said that Nigeria could not afford to have a repeat of the Muhammadu Buhari-led regime by voting Abubakar come 2023.
Obasanjo to Nigerians: Don’t vote aspirants claiming youths bought forms for them
In a related development, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked Nigerians not to vote for presidential aspirants claiming that some political or youth groups bought their nomination forms for them.
Obasanjo made the comment in Lagos during a colloquium to mark the 61st birthday of Pastor Itua Ighodalo saying:
“Anybody who would come out to tell you such a lie, you shouldn’t vote for him. Which youths gathered N40million? If you want to buy it, buy it and tell us. You don’t need to lie to us.”
Source: Legit.ng
