Ahead of the February 2023 presidential election, a grassroots political advocacy group, “People For Atiku (PFA)” has appealed to Nigerians to elect former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the country’s next president because he is a unifying force and true democrat.
Atiku is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for the race.
In a statement it issued yesterday in Abuja, the group said, “We endorse and support Atiku Abubakar for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2023 elections as the strongest, unifying, progressive possibility among the candidates.”
PFA, which released the press statement to mark June 12, 2022 Democracy Day, called on all Nigerian progressives to “be wise as a fox.”
Its executive director, Ozi Nwadike, who signed the statement, said Atiku represented the strongest, progressive force among the other contenders and the first choice if Nigerians “must take back our country.”
Citing the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy contained in Chapter II of the Nigerian Constitution which specified that sovereignty belongs to the Nigerian people; every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law, media freedom and others, PFA stated it inspired the struggle to end injustice, tribalism and religious intolerance in Nigeria.
“We are inspired by the struggle to bring an end to oligarchy, tribalism, nepotism, violence, injustice, religious intolerance, poverty, hunger, lack of opportunities and illiteracy in Nigeria.
“We proclaim the wider brotherhood and sisterhood of all of the Nigerian peoples. Our goal is a government that represents the Nigerian people and does not serve only the interest of greedy political office holders and corporate interests and their friends and families,” it stated.
According to Nwadike, “The era of sitting on the sidelines and shouting ourselves hoarse with nobody listening is over,” assuring Nigerians that in a post-Atiku victory, the group would be a stern regime watchdog.
“We assure Nigerians that when that time comes, we will not fail to be a relentless figurative thorn in the flesh of Atiku Abubakar, reminding him of his foremost duty to the Nigerian people and not to political jobbers and greedy corporatists,” it stated.
