Atiku’s exit not good for APC, says Okorocha as groups clamour for ex-VP
Contrary to some All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains, the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has affirmed that the exit of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the party was not a good development.
Okorocha, while speaking with journalists after receiving an honorary doctorate degree at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) on Saturday, described Abubakar as a political heavyweight.
According to him, “I have taken a holistic view of our party, Atiku’s exit is not the best because no matter how anybody thinks, Atiku carries some political weight. His leaving our party is not the best.”
However, the governor noted that since he had decided to move on politically by going to another political party, the APC would make amend and his place would be filled up accordingly.
He also flayed the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, for his comment that there would be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari ahead the 2019 presidential election.
“Since I made the statement, no governor has said something contrary to what I said. I am surprised that Asiwaju will now be speaking for the governors.
The governor stressed that the ruling party was not jittery about the outcome of the PDP’s convention, saying Buhari would defeat any candidate presented by any opposition in 2019 election.
“There is nothing to be jittery about the outcome of the PDP’s convention. We are very confident that our presidential candidate to be; President Muhammadu Buhari is up to the task.’’
Meanwhile, ahead of 2019, not less than 41 political groups across party lines in Cross River State, under the revived Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), have adopted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as he plans to run for the presidency in 2019.
After a meeting, their spokesman, Dr. Domcklaimz Enamhe, told journalists in Calabar that the PDM has been revived in the state as a movement working towards the actualization of Atiku’s presidential ambition in 2019.
He said at the moment the groups that make up the PDM in the state have grown to 41, but there was hope that more groups will join and “today it is clear that the presidency needs a little drift to where Nigerians will have some succour.
