The Peoples Democratic Party on Friday said the disqualified presidential candidate of the Action Congress, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, had never been a threat to its chances at the poll.
Skip to next paragraphAbubakar however debunked the assertion, saying he would trounce PDP�s presidential candidate, Alhaji Umaru Yar�Adua in a fair contest.
National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, said Yar�Adua would win the April presidential election even if Abubakar was cleared to contest. He told Saturday Punch on the telephone that the party aimed to win the governorship seats in the 36 states.
Ali said, �We will win the election come April. Whether the vice-president is contesting or not is immaterial to our ambition. We have campaigned and we are still campaigning vigorously for that.
�It is unfortunate that he was disqualified from running. We have no hand in his disqualification; but if that is what the constitution says, so be it. It is bad that he did not make the constitutional requirement; we would have floored him.�
The chairman added that though Abubakar was part of the PDP in the beginning, �his recalcitrant behaviour sent him out of our party. And many of the people he took away in a bid to break the party, like Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, are back and are working for the success of the party.�
He also accused the vice-president of being the brain behind the failed attempt to factionalise the party, saying, �Many of those he took away to go and hoist our flag somewhere in Abuja are back in the party. They keep on calling me on a daily basis telling me what they are doing to make the party strong.
�Even in Uyo on Thursday, many of them came to me, begging me that they would want to come back and still contest the election. But I told them that we are not in control of INEC and cannot tell the commission to start substituting names. That is how popular the party is and that is why I told you that we will win in the 36 states.�
He denied that the party was working towards a one-party state, declaring, �Yes, we will win the 36 states. But that does not mean that we are asking for a one-party state. I don�t want a monolithic governmental system and I believe that some parties may still win some seats in a few states. That is my desire.�
But in a swift reaction, the vice-president said if he was not a threat, he should be allowed to show his electoral value. Abubakar, who spoke through the head of his media campaign, Mallam Garba Shehu said, �If they are not seeing the vice-president as a threat, then let them allow him to run and see what will happen. We have evidence that more than 90 per cent of Nigerians are tired of the status quo and therefore they want a change. Are you not aware that over 90 per cent of Nigerians have said they were better off economically in 1999 than they are now? Are you saying such a party is capable of winning another election?�