Ahead of the 2023 polls, the electoral fortune of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, dwindled yesterday as 10 of his support groups jumped ship to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Accordingly, the groups in the North West geopolitical zone pledged support for presidential candidates of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
The 10 groups are Atiku Support Organisation, PDP Transformation Ambassadors, Atiku Abubakar Kawai, PDP Mobilisers Initiative, Kasa Daya Al’umma Daya, Atiku/Okowo Frontiers Movement, G7 Business Community, Katsina Biyayya Forum, Atiku Women and Youth Initiative and Atiku Nigeria Transformation Ambassadors.
A statement issued yesterday by the publicity secretary of the North West zone, Malam Musa Mailafiya Mada, and spokesperson, APC North West Presidential Campaign Council, Mohammed Lawal Shehu Mflash, noted that Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, and the APC national vice chairman (North West), Salihu Moh Lukman, received the members of the Atilu support groups into the governing party in the zone at Gusau, Zamafara State capital.
The statement reads in part: “Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state in his capacity as the Zonal Coordinator North-West of the Presidential Campaign Council together with APC National Vice Chairman North-west Vice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Salihu Moh. Lukman spent hours receiving the PDP and Atiku support groups on Friday, November 25, 2022.
“These are groups who were committed to supporting the PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar won the 2023 Presidential elections but was not given the deserved recognition by both the PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar.
“The groups include Atiku Support Organization, PDP Transformation Ambassadors, Atiku Abubakar Kawai, PDP Mobilizers Initiative, Kasa Daya Al’umma Daya, Atiku/Okowo Frontiers Movement, G7 Business Community, Katsina Biyayya Forum, Atiku Women and Youth Initiative and Atiku Nigeria Transformation Ambassadors.
“These are groups that invested heavily in the Atiku project since 2015 but noting that poor relationship with both PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar compelled them to leave both the PDP and its Presidential candidate and declared their support for APC and its Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Matawalle, according to the statement, told the decampees that “APC is the only party that uphold to the principles of power rotation, saying the highest justice to be done to the people of the South is to be able to shift power to their region so that justice and equality can be ensured.
It noted: “Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state in his capacity as the Zonal Coordinator North-West of the Presidential Campaign Council together with APC National Vice Chairman North-west Vice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Salihu Moh. Lukman spent hours receiving the PDP and Atiku support groups on Friday, November 25, 2022.
“These are groups who were committed to supporting the PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar won the 2023 presidential elections but was not given the deserved recognition by both the PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar.”
