Atiku finally speaks about 2019, says he has not made up his mind to contest

- The former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has said that he has not made up his mind to run for president in 2019

- He said that Nigerians will know when he eventually takes the bold move

- Azibola Omekwe, the national coordinator of The Atiku Rennaisance, however, said Abubakar’s statement is capable of demoralizing his supporters

Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has said that he has not made up his mind to run for president in 2019, Premium Times reports.

NAIJ.com gathered that he told VOA Hausa when he featured on a magazine program on Tuesday, December 19, that Nigerians will know when he eventually takes the bold move.

He said: “For now I have not made up my mind. When I decide, I will let the world know.”

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Azibola Omekwe, the national coordinator of The Atiku Rennaisance, a political group said Abubakar’s statement is capable of demoralising his supporters, some of whom have already commenced groundwork for his 2019 bid.

Azibola said the 2019 ambition of Atiku has gained considerable momentum in recent weeks, a ‘moving train’ he said would be difficult to reverse.

“Just recently, some people came out to say that they will sue the former vice-president if he fails to join the race. That’s how serious some of his supporters have now taken his ambition”, Azibola said.

Abubakar’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe, said the politician’s fans should not be demoralised by the comments.

“He spoke in the context of his ongoing consultations, but he’ll eventually make up his mind to run. Those who have started politicking on his behalf should continue.”

Azibola acknowledged that the final decision on Atiku’s political choice in 2019 would be the former vice-president’s to make.

“But I’m sure he will ultimately decide to run because he’s the best option to beat President Buhari. We expect him to do this within the first quarter of 2018”, said Azibola, a former state legislator in Bayelsa.

The last one month had seen Abubakar resign from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which he served eight years as VP between 1999-2007.

After using his resignation letter to convey his misgivings about President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku granted a media interview in which he accused the president of incompetence.

He also accused Buhari of stoking ethnic and tribal divisions in the country, saying he will handily ‘defeat’ the president in 2019.

Buhari has not openly exchanged words with Abubakar, but the Presidency warned the former vice president to stop disparaging the president.

The reprimand followed allegations that Buhari was banned from travelling to the United States for 15 years as a consequence of his religious views.

Abubakar used the purported ban to ward off allegations that he is wanted in the U.S. for fraud.

Abubakar said he had applied for visa to the U.S. but was denied on administrative grounds.

He, however, failed to present evidence of his claim that Buhari was also banned from the U.S. despite being challenged by the State House to do so.

According to Premium Times, American authorities have not responded to requests seeking clarification about both Atiku’s status and the alleged ban of the president some years back.

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“What has been happening in recent weeks is sparring. We expect this to continue, but it’s not the same as a formal declaration of a presidential run", Ibe said.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that some groups of youths in the south eastern part of the country have drummed support for the presidential ambition of the former Nigeria's vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

2019 Presidency: Nigerians reveal why they prefer Atiku to President Buhari - on NAIJ.com TV

Source: Naija.ng