A Non Governmental Organisation, FACE OF WAZIRI-NIGERIA, has flayed the unfounded and malicious contents been developed and bandied around to disparage the person of Atiku Abubarka Waziri Adamawa, ahead of 2023 general elections.
Mr Ade Bukky, the group’s Director General, who spoke with newsmen in his Lagos office on Wednesday, notes that the campaign of calumny embarked upon by Mr. Kassim Afegbua a former Commissioner of information in Edo state, is needless going by the basis of his actions.
According to Bukky, Afegbua is only enraged by the fact that he was refused what he craved so much for, to be part of the Media Team for Atiku Technical Committee enlisted to tour round the country, consult and dialogue with people before his eventual declaration to jostle for the presidency.
Bukky said: “Our NGO would have felt no need to dignify a funny character like Kassim Afegbua, with our response for all the fallacious comments he has been bandying around.
“We are much aware of all his atrocious mien, in fact as a PDP member he worked against us in Edo state prior to Obaseki’s victory at poll.
The NGO also faulted Afegbua’s take on Atiku’s administrative acumen, citing the fact that the Waziri Adamawa’s deep sense of industry cut across all sectors, as he remains the greatest employer of labour in Adamawa, with over 100,000 staffers on his payroll.
“At the moment we really cannot place where Afegbua belongs, as he peddles falsehood about, his pockets well lined with millions of naira by his paymasters; the political business man in Lagos and another one from River state who commissioned him for this dirty mission.
“He is busy propagating all forms of falsehoods, targeted at demarketing Atiku due to the fact that he could not get what he wanted in the said technical committee.
“All kinds of disparaging comments about Atiku’s age and that he has never been a Governor before and so lacks the ability to be President.
“At this critical moment, for us age is just a number, what we need is experience, competence, smartness and sound health of the leader.
“If I may ask, what kind of executive experience does a man need to be President?
It is an incontrovertible fact that Waziri already went through the rigours of electoral processes and was elected Adamawa State Governor, before President Olusegun Obasanjo picked him as his Vice President.
“Since 1999, we’ve had 16 years of uninterrupted democracy where PDP held sway and out of that span of years, the north barely had it for two years with Yar’adua, Obasanjo(S/W) had it for eight good years, Goodluck Jonathan(S/S) had it for 6 years, so the south had 14 years in a stretch.
“At the moment, PDP is not cut out for zoning arrangement, it is only looking for a candidate who can rescue Nigeria from the retrogressive state wherein APC brought it.
“The only Messiah that can do that and rescue the nation out of the doldrums is none other than Atiku Abubarka.” Said Bukky
The FOW Chief also note that as the case stands now Afegbua need get busy and not waste away chasing shadows, at best he should swallow his pride and send emissaries to IBB to reabsorb him as spokesman, a post he was relieved of for being too loose in his articulation.
“Another opportunity still lie in wait for him, if the earlier one is not possible, he can approach his master former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole to help him out.
As it is a clear misnomer for Afegbua, who barely has anything doing or business but mills around politicians to get his nest fested, to now have the temerity to malign Waziri ADAMAWA, who has conglomerate of businesses known to all and sundry.
“More so his recent outburst against Waziri ADAMAWA on Arise and AIT TV stations yesterday,where he faulted him for lack of experience and managerial capabilities is misguided and jaundiced.” Said Bukky.
