Segun Atanda/
The former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has listed reasons why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would be a better leader for Nigeria.
Daniel, who is the Director-General, Atiku Campaign Organization, also spoke about why the former vice president should be taken seriously despite some allegations of corruption against him in political circles.
He said, “In our country, people try to give a dog a bad name in order to hang him.
“To the best of my knowledge, he has not been charged. He has not been prosecuted and he has lost his immunity since 2007. And, if he has lost immunity for 11 years and he has not been tried, and he’s not wanted, and he is still moving freely, we must then situate whatever it is within the realm of speculation. And serious minded people must not take decisions based on speculations.”
According to Daniel, Atiku would be a better choice in 2019 because “Atiku is speaking the language in the Southwest – Restructuring; Atiku is speaking the language in the Southeast – Resource Control; he has built corporate organisations; he had served in the public service, and he is a businessman.”
Daniel said that in Nigeria the systems were still not strong enough and the nation would need a strong leader that could drive development in the country, which gives Atiku an edge.
Daniel also spoke about Atiku’s liberal, religious disposition.
“He’s a Muslim, who has no problem of worshipping in the church,” he said.
Daniel decried what he described as the high level of insecurity in Nigeria, warning that if Nigerians are not careful the country will continue to retrogress.
If given the ticket to run as President, Atiku, according to Daniel, would share the vote in the North with Buhari and get an edge over him in other parts of the country.
Speaking on the changing fortunes of the PDP that received 15 Senators and 36 House of Representatives members on July 24,
Daniel said that the PDP should be congratulated for the gains it made in the upper and lower legislative chambers of the National Assembly.
Asked of his reaction to the defection, he said, “I think you should congratulate us.”
Asked of the reported negative stance of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to Atiku’s bid for the presidency over the years and the implication of this, Daniel said that the ex-president could always have a change of mind.
According to him, if the former president backed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, he could also change his mind concerning Atiku, depending on the information at his disposal.
“New things emerge and positions change. Maybe OBJ has gotten other information that may make him change his mind. Once upon a time, he said that Buhari will not be President but he changed his mind,” he said.
Daniel insisted that Atiku’s pedigree as a private entrepreneur who also has experience in the public sector placed him in good stead in the PDP.
“Those coming with the ambition to fly the PDP party ticket are most welcome. Atiku is the best man for the job. He has not been charged or prosecuted for any crime,” he added.
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