Eniola Olayemi
Official spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has described as inconsequential the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, by elders of different regions in the country.
According to him, the leaders, who are those of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Middle Belt Forum, and a faction of Afenifere, are persons who their people no longer listen to.
The leaders had on Sunday, while endorsing Atiku, written incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari off for several reasons including, among others, his alleged indulgence in blame games ever since he emerged President more than three years ago and increasing insecurity in the country.
But Keyamo responding to the endorsement when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics said, “There is nothing that is as fraudulent as known PDP members and sympathizers putting on the apparel of socio-political groups and endorsing their own political parties”.
According to him, “President Buhari is an unusual leader, who has managed to navigate his way through these middlemen and he has reached the people directly in this country”.
He then challenged the socio-political groups to a popularity contest in states where President Buhari is yet to hold his presidential campaign.
“I want to challenge the so-called groups now, we are still on our campaign rally, let them call a rally the same day we arrive their region, I am challenging them openly, I am challenging the faction of Afenifere, we have not gone to Lagos, we have not gone to Ekiti, the day we are arriving Lagos, I am challenging Afenifere to call a rally of Yoruba people at another venue in Lagos and let us see the turn out.
“I am challenging the Middle Belt forum, we have not gone to Benue, we have not gone to other places; to know how connected you are with your people, I challenge you to call a rally the same day we are arriving the middle belt and let us see the turnout at your rally and our rally.”
On the relevance of the endorsement, the senior advocate said, “The people don’t listen to them again, these are people who have over time represented their own interest and of course they are in tune with the philosophy of Atiku Abubakar who says that he will enrich his own friends. So like bees are attracted to honey, these people are attracted to Atiku Abubakar who wants to enrich his friends”.
