The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has slammed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ,saying he does not deserve another shot at power because he blew his opportunity during his eight years reign under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Tinubu made this clear in his acceptance speech, following his appointment on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari to spearhead the APC presidential campaign.
Differentiating between Buhari and Atiku, Tinubu said, “
The character of the two candidates cannot be more distinct. President Buhari is a straight and honest man. Leave a naira on the table with Buhari in the room, you will find the naira on the table when you return.
When Buhari says ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ you know where he stands; he means what he says; no more, no less.
“With Atiku, things are more nuanced. When Atiku speaks, he may mean ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘maybe,’ ‘I don’t know,’ ‘come back tomorrow,’ ‘all of the above,’ or ‘none of the above.’
His compass has four needles pointing in different directions at the same time. He knows of no direction to take. President Buhari’s word is his bond. When Atiku speaks, it is to give you the slip.
“We cannot afford a President whose ways and mind is a maze of contradicting urges and colliding desires. This shows he has no vision for the nation and no guiding principles except the naked pursuit of power for the naked use of that power.
“Atiku had his chance to shine as VP when he controlled the privatisation programme of the Obasanjo government. He abused this assignment. He helped squander billions of dollars on power generation that did nothing but extended our national darkness.
“That government had so much money at its disposal and that is exactly what it did. It disposed of the money yet failed to treat the poor or build for the future. Atiku laid waste to the national treasury for eight long years. That is enough for one lifetime. We should not reward him by giving him another eight years because the more he feeds, the stronger his hunger grows.