2019: Why Atiku will defeat Buhari – Barr. Eke

Barrister George Eke (Photo Credit: brandpowerng.com)

By Chinagorom Ugwu

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and legal practitioner, Barrister George Eke has given reasons why the party’s presidential flagbearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will defeat incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari at the forthcoming 2019 presidential election.

Speaking while featuring on Political Stool, a TVC News Television programme on Tuesday, Barrister Eke, opined that Atiku has over forty years of political experience unlike  President Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to him, the incessant killings in Benue and its environs have made many Nigerians to lose faith in Buhari’s administration adding that the situation is not different in south East as the region is agitating against marginalization.

He said, “If you notice what has been happening in middle belt with regards to the killings especially around Benue area and the fact that the people themselves feel that the government is not doing enough to rescue them from the hands of these marauding killers. Then For the south east, of course you know that the south has complained of marginalization, by the time they will find that it went beyond marginalization to exclusion and there is some disquiet in south east. Nobody is talking again. Every week, people bring out their PVC and make sure that it is still there”.

Asked what he meant by the strong word, exclusion, the former Eke, a former Imo state governorship aspirant noted: “Sure, total Exclusion, they are not anywhere. In all appointments, you find out that (there is) zero for South East. You don’t find anybody appointed there and they are taking note of it and what time are they waiting for? Election time! In south east, there is a police check point in every two kilometers. All of them extorting money. They hardly protect anybody. They must stop you, search you, collect some money from you-the usual thing”.

He maintained that Nigerians are crying for a change of government insisting that South East belongs to PDP even as he added that Imo State which is the only APC state in South East is in Shambles.

The Lagos based legal Practitioner explained that the victory of Atiku Abubakar during PDP’s presidential primary election has changed the political trajectory in Nigeria describing him as the “man of the moment”.

Former Vice-President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had, last Sunday, won the People’s Democratic Party Presidential Primary election after securing 1532 votes to beat the closest opponent, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal to stand as President Buhari’s major opponent in the 2019 presidential election.

When asked to comment on the Atiku’s protracted loggerheads with former President Olusegun Obasanjo leading the latter’s withdrawal of support for Atiku, Barr. Eke lavished praise on Atiku for what he called “placing moral burdens” on perceived enemies.

He explained, “You see, there is one beautiful thing I think every politician should learn from Atiku and that is probably why I said he has 40 years experience behind him. You notice that on the grounds of the convention, he took time to thank the man in his Ota residence. Obasanjo did not come for the convention, he did not vote for him, he did not organize any delegate for him but he took time and thanked him. Do you know what he also did? At the end of the convention, when he had been declared winner, he went to Nyesom wike’s office to pay a courtesy call because of course you know Atiku is just coming into the party, just a few months ago. The man who held sway or who still holds sway in PDP is Nyesom Wike in combination with Fayose. And for some reasons, there has been rumour that two of them worked against him (Atiku), but he had to go and thank him, pay him a courtesy call. What does that mean? He has put a moral burden on him. He has already started that inclusion that I told you that He Personally carries around”.