October 05, (THEWILL) – Former Vice President and the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the last presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, warned that Nigeria’s reputation is at stake concerning the controversy surrounding the Chicago State University’s certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by President Bola Tinubu ahead of last February Presidential election.
He also called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with him in upholding the tenets of democracy by establishing the truth about the certificate submitted to the electoral umpire by the President.
Atiku said, “The reputation of our country is at stake and that affects Nigerians everywhere and wherever they may be.”
He also said he would only drop his fight with President Bola Tinubu if the Supreme Court rules in the President’s favour.
When asked if he would step down his fight against President Tinubu, Atiku said, “The case is still in court. I’ll only drop this fight if the court rules. If the court rules that I’m right, fine, if the court rules that Tinubu is right, fine. There’s no other court higher than the Supreme Court. That is where it all ends.
Atiku also dismissed allegations that he betrayed Tinubu, who many see as his former political ally.
His words, “I disagree with Tinubu, yes it’s true that we came together in 2007. In Lagos, at the convention, I emerged winner and got the party’s ticket. After I got the ticket, he sent me about five or six senior party men, and they met me and said Bola (Tinubu) wanted to be my running mate.
“I said, gentlemen, you are all old enough, and asked, what would be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket?
“They all answered that they objected to it, I then told them they should have told him and that was the end of the political relationship; he (Tinubu) broke away, and supported Umaru Yar’Adua. So what is the ground for him to say I betrayed him?”
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
