Atiku Set To Receive Adamawa APC Defectors August 15

THE Peoples Democratic Party, on Sunday, received 1,615 members of the All Progressives Congress in Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa State on Saturday.

The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, is scheduled to “have a handshake” with them during a mega rally scheduled for August 15 in Yola.

According to Punch, the defectors are protesting what they described as the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari, to fulfil his campaign promises, as well as worsening insecurity were received by the Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter of the PDP, Tahir Shehu.

Speaking through their representatives, Mustapha Albashir, Alhaji Gana and Yahya Abubakar, they cited worsening insecurity, poverty and economic difficulties they had experienced under the Buhari regime for their actions.

They regretted not seeing any progress since 2015 when they worked against the PDP to install the APC; but now felt convinced that the PDP is the right place because of the change brought by the state governor, Ahamdu Fintiri, since 2019 when the PDP ousted the APC in the state.

Abubakar said, “Our journey into the APC was meaningless, we ganged up to defeat the PDP since 2015, but we have realised we made a mistake. One of the reasons over 1,615 of us decided to come here today, even though we are actually more than 6,000 joining the PDP, is because after 7 years we cannot reckon with any tangible thing the party has achieved under Buhari other than worsening insecurity, stagnation and poverty.”

Shehu, while receiving the defectors, said the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked that he would like to shake hands with the 1,615 defectors who have demonstrated courage in protesting against bad governance.

He said, “Atiku has asked the party to make sure 1,615 of you who left the party from Toungo are brought to his mega rally in Yola, on August 15, to celebrate his emergence as the PDP presidential standard bearer because he would like to shake hands with you.”

 Melaye on Tinubu

Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye, on Saturday, alleged that the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, sees the presidency as his “entitlement and retirement benefits.”

Atiku named Melaye and Dr. Daniel Bwala as spokespersons for his campaign.

Melaye, who represented Kogi West in the 8th Senate, alleged that Tinubu was contesting for the presidency not on basis of the greater good but to fulfill his “lifetime ambition.”

In a video shared on his Facebook page, the former lawmaker who was responding to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, over his comment on Atiku in a TV interview recently, said, unlike Tinubu, the PDP’s candidate is contesting with rich credentials.

According to him, Atiku has the rudiments of civil administration and of politics.

He said, “Atiku Abubakar is running for the presidency for the second or third time and he understands this route better than the political virgin, Tinubu, that you (Keyamo) are supporting who is running for the presidency for the first time and sees it as his life entitlement and retirement benefits for supporting Buhari.”