Atiku Is Scared Of Defeat Staring Him In Face – Presidency

The Presidency has described the former Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as a man who is either undemocratic by his recent actions and utterances or has seen defeat staring him, and his party, in the face.

Responding to Atiku’s accusation of President Muhammdu Buhari in a foreign news medium of being “very uncompromising, also power drunk; (and) who will not be ready to leave power without a fight,” the Presidency said: “the insinuation of a fight is the mindset of a man who is either undemocratic, or has seen defeat staring him, and his party, in the face.

“Let the former Vice President rest assured that there will be no ‘fight’ over power in Nigeria. Not under President Buhari’s watch. The people don’t want a fight. It is some political leaders we must beseech to eschew pugnacity, and mind their language.”

In a statement today, Wednesday, the special adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina admitted that the President is truly uncompromising only when it comes to looting the common patrimony of Nigerians, and squandering their riches.

“President Buhari is uncompromising in the quest to restore probity and accountability to public office. He is uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into pre-2015, thus the war against corruption is being fought without fear or favour. The President is equally resolute in the determination to ensure that Nigeria is no longer a mono-economy, depending only on oil.

“Yes, President Buhari is single-minded in effecting change in every area of Nigerian life. So, Alhaji Abubakar is right, if that was what he meant by the President being “uncompromising.

“But power drunk? No! And being a man “who will not be ready to leave power without a fight?” Never! Not President Buhari, who has demonstrated in many ways that he is a committed democrat, though also a retired military general. He has no apologies about that. Through a sterling military career, he served Nigeria with his heart and might, before venturing into partisan politics.

“In many ways, President Buhari has wielded power with decency, and as a means of serving the people, rather than for personal ends. If there’s one person not intoxicated by power, it is President Buhari, and scores of millions of Nigerians know this. That is why they will invest him with power again next year, knowing that he won’t misuse or misapply what has been entrusted to him.”

Adesina advised the former Vice President to borrow a leaf from the decorous language employed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in answering his recent press statement on the restructuring debate, adding that Osinbajo signifies a hallmark of statesmen, “and not crying wolf where none exists, which is what the allegation of being uncompromising and power drunk truly is.

He remided Atiku that President Buhari is actuated by service to country, and nothing else, saying that there could therefore not be anything like “not ready to leave power without a fight.”

He called on Atiku not to use the name of President Buhari to buoy his bid to get the presidential ticket of a party, “whose flag has been flying at half-mast since it got roundly trounced at the polls in 2015.”