The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s election, Atiku Abubakar, has said he was not aware of reconciliatory overtures being made by the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Atiku disclosed this at a World press conference held Thursday evening in Abuja while responding to a question about the statement credited to Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Mr Akeredolu in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, on Wednesday said the All Progressives Congress set up a reconciliation committee to meet with Atiku, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and other aggrieved candidates of political parties who contested last Saturday’s presidential election.
The panel, according to Akeredolu, is to resolve their displeasure and ensure all parties involved work together with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, for the growth of Nigeria.
But when asked, during a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, to confirm if some APC governors visited him and they were turned back, Mr Atiku said he was not aware of any such moves.
“Well, I am really not aware of that. I was home all day today. I was not aware of any governor coming to see me,” the former vice president said.
Mr Atiku also said has gone to courts up to 11 times from the lower court to the Supreme Court and obtained judgement without bribing the judiciary.
The former vice president said he was not sure if that would be possible now, adding that “I cannot say if it is still the same.”
When asked if he did not get a judgment at the end of the whole process, Atiku replied, saying “I will appeal to God.”
Atiku said if not that Peter Obi hurriedly left the PDP, they would have worked together, recalling that when they were together in the PDP with Obi, the issue of running mate was not being discussed.
He recalled that in 2011, 2015 ad 2019 he had picked Igbo men as running mates and 2023 he had picked another Ibo man Ifeanyi Okowa as a running mate, adding that this was based on his belief that he will be the stepping stone for an Ibo President.
Atiku said when the issue of the presidential flag bearer and other positions came up, the PDP governors came up and said they would produce the flag bearer, running mate and chief of staff.
“Obi got scared. He was in a rush and left. I was not scared. I fought them and at that time nothing could have stopped him from becoming the running mate,” Atiku said.
He said he and obi would have worked together, adding that the vote the LP got in southeast and south-south were PDP votes.