By Patrick Andrew
Abuja
The Atiku Abubakar National Youth organization (ANYO) has declared that only God who gives powers and can stop Atiku from realizing his presidential ambition in 2019.
The group’s National Secretary, Samuel Tiku, stated this while reacting to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who declared that the politician would never realise his ambition, during a meeting with some interest groups in Abuja.
But group dismissed Obasanjo’s claim as it urged Nigerians to shun the former president stating that power comes from God and that Nigerian youths were keenly watching events in Nigeria as well as the action or inaction of some past leaders.
The group said Obasanjo’s decision to play god was taking his misunderstanding with the former Vice President to extreme adding, “It is only God that has the power to scuttle ones ambition”.
“How long and how many times would the former Vice President apologize to his former boss”, Tiku questioned, adding that what becomes of Atiku in 2019 lies in the hand of God and the Nigerian voters.
The group urged Nigerian youths to support the former Vice President because of his disposition to their plight stressing that Nigerian youths should rally Atiku Abubakar to realize his ambition in 2019.
Tiku, who lamented that President Muhammadu Buhari has wasted the goodwill that Nigerians gave him in 2015, maintained that Atiku in his policy and programmes has shown that he is for the masses.
The group assured that by his past performance, Atiku has shown he would not forget the youths like other administration if given the mandate by the electorate to govern the country.
He noted that the decision by Atiku to return to the PDP was for public interest, divine intervention and a blessing not only to the PDP but to all Nigerians, particularly the youths who would be involved in governance should Atiku eventually emerged president.
However, the group cautioned the PDP against internal party wrangling, imposition and impunity which had bedevilled the party in 2015 and challenged them to work together towards capturing powers at all levels in 2019.
“We are going to mobilized both party and non-party members to support Atiku in 2019, Tiku declared.
National chair: Lagos PDP endorses George
The Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sunday night endorsed Chief Olabode George as its preferred candidate for the national chairmanship position during the forthcoming December 9 national convention of the party.
Moshood Salvador, the state chairman of PDP, gave the certification at a meeting between Mr. George and members of the party, held at the party’s secretariat in GRA, Ikeja.
George had been on campaign in the Southern states of the country to seek support for votes ahead of the National Convention.
There are about eight aspirants jostling for the National chairmanship seat of the party from the south. They include: the former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran.
Others are: the former Minister of Youth Development, Taoheed Adedoja and former Lagos State PDP governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, Uche Secondus, a former acting National Chairman of PDP, and Raymond Dokpesi.
Mr. Salvador said: “On behalf of Lagos PDP, we must vote for Chief Bode George come Dec. 9; the South west is the rightful region to have the chairman of our great party.
“In the last dispensation, Ekiti produced the Vice- Chairman while Osun and Oyo states took the highest office. It is only Lagos that is left and what we want is the chairman.
“The South-east and the South-south have produced a chairman before that is why it is our turn to have the chairman of PDP,’’ he said.
Earlier, Mr. George assured members that if given the opportunity to serve, he would re-establish the culture and tradition put in place by the founding fathers of the PDP.
“If I am given the opportunity, I will not be new to the management of this party because the party’s constitution is not going to be new to me; I know its provisions as I know the back of my hand. We grew up with the party and the founding fathers handed over the culture of the party to us and that is what we would re-establish.
“Just check out, from the end of our convention to the national election is a very short time, it is not a time where you can do experimentation, it is not a time you can bring a green horn to be the chairman of the party.
“If you are desirous that you want to win that election, on that day before you cast your votes search your consciences and think very carefully. Secondly, it is not a matter of life and death, if I don’t believe that I have anything to offer, I will not be here.
“I will not compromise on things that are not right and are not in the constitution. I will do things the way they should be done and everybody will be happy. That was how our founding fathers were moving the party forward,’’ Mr. George said.
