The All Progressive Congress (APC), vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, says the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is a political tourist and only comes to Nigeria during elections.
According to Shettima, the APC would retire Atiku to Dubai as the 2023 presidential election would be the last he would ever contest.
“We are going to retire him back to Dubai to go and relax, For people to see your worth, they need to see your output at home,” he told the APC National Integrity Movement in Abuja.
He continued: “Atiku cannot point to three projects he brought to the northeast or to northern Nigeria for the eight years that he served as the vice president.
“He cannot show us three people that he has mentored.
“Is he even on good terms with past governors of Adamawa state? Admiral Nyako is with us. James Ngilari is with us. Asiwaju can boast of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, he can boast of Babatunde Raji Fashola, he can boast Lai Mohammed, Rauf Aregbesola, Kayode Fayemi, Femi Gbajabiamila, Abiodun Faleke, Joe Igbokwe, Ben Akabuaze. I can boast of Babagana Zulum, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Mohammed Ali Ndume, Betara Aliyu and Tahir Mongunu, Zanaib Gimba.”
Shettima further spoke on the reason he is supporting Tinubu.
He said: “What we have seen is his opportunity for national collaboration and national cohesion. When the frontlines that divide us were being manipulated for political ends, Asiwaju refused to swallow the pill.
“Nigeria’s of younger generation must know Asiwaju’s history of two decades past when he stood firm as the fulcrum to a despotic PDP government in this country when he was viciously maligned and ostracised and that was when he laid the foundation for modern Lagos state.
“He provided support and succour when the nation was enveloped in darkness and when we were having lots of destruction in the hands of military dictators, he was a sanctuary for victims of political witch hunt including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was intimidated and harassed, dehumanised and chased out of the PDP.
“It was Asiwaju that gave him political sanctuary and a platform to contest the Presidency of this country in 2007. The same thing was repeated four years later when another harassed person, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was given the platform to contest the presidency of this country under the ACN.
“If power resides in the north for eight years, for God sake, it should move.”