The Director-General of Global Initiatives for Good Governance (GIGG), Dr. Emeka Kalu, has defended Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, against criticisms that he is responsible for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) recent presidential election losses.
Dr. Kalu described those attacking Atiku as “political detractors” and stated that it is defamatory to antagonize a respected national leader with a good track record of improving the lives of the masses.
His comments come after Chief Olabode George, a PDP chieftain, accused Atiku of being responsible for the party’s recent failures, and Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, predicted that PDP would lose the 2027 Presidential election if Atiku is fielded as its flagbearer.
Dr. Kalu emphasized that Atiku’s antecedents have always been befitting and beneficial to the masses, and it is unfair to blame him for the party’s losses.
“As a sagacious and resilient leader, Atiku Abubakar has been intentional in re-jiging the collapsing socio-political economic structures of the nation when elected the next President and it remains one of his continued points of National Transformation Agenda towards healing the wounds of APC’s lopsided governance in the country.
“So saddening that those who fed from the political pot of Waziri Adamawa to become relevant in the political society have chosen to denigrate his personality simply to please Atiku’s enemies.
“Chief Olabode George recently cited that the PDP lost the 2023 Presidential election because Atiku was the candidate.”
He also queried how Atiku’s candidacy in the 2023 presidential election denied PDP victory despite the obvious electoral malpractices, which marred the polls.
The GIGG Director-General, declared that the attacks on the personality of Atiku amounted to a hatchet job, crookedly organised and a ploy to weaken the political platform of the former Vice President.
He also said that the current economic conundrum could only be upturned through Atiku’s Presidency, adding that he remained the only seasoned national leader with the ability to return Nigeria to the forefront of infrastructural development and national security, considering his wealth of experience in public administration and politics.
“I hereby demand that this misguided, badly conceived and politically motivated character destruction is henceforth retracted, else our legal department would not hesitate to sue the defaulters on personality assassination, misrepresentation of facts and defamation of character”, Kalu threatened
“In conclusion, I hereby sternly warn that Atiku Abubakar be addressed with honour and his reputations must not be ruined nor debased,” he said.
