Why I remain interested in presidency — Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said on Sunday that he is best suited as Nigeria’s leader. He said Nigeria needed someone that had the capacity and the knowhow to address issues of unemployment, insecurity and unity.
The former VP who is vying for the presidency for the fourth time, spoke at the ‘Atiku Abubakar Presidential Nomination Media Chat’ under the auspices of The United Nigeria Group (TUNG) which was held in Abuja.
According to him, “As a civil servant, I have worked 20 years in the federal bureaucracy; as a politician, I served successfully for eight years as the vice president and in that position, I chaired the economic team of that administration.
“I assembled the best economic team (as vice president). We liberalised the economy, we expanded the private sector’s participation and tried to limit government to the necessary issues.”
Atiku, noted for his call for restructuring, was asked how he would cope with the National Assembly to actualize his dream in the event he got the PDP ticket.
“It requires political skill and I have done it before. During our administration (with Obasanjo), I was in charge of dealing with the National Assembly, and we did not encounter any challenge as we have it today.
“There were differences of political parties, and other differences were there and they will continue to be there. It requires someone with the skills and experience to deal with the National Assembly to achieve the restructuring agenda.
Atiku who said he wasn’t comfortable with the Federal Government’s poverty alleviation programme which gave N10, 000 to the unemployed to set up businesses, said he had one of the most successful microfinance banks in this country which had since moved 45,000 families out of poverty.
He also chided those who thought he was junketing from one political party to another. “Tell me one political leader who has been consistent on a political platform. There is none that has not changed parties. But changing party is not the issue, have you been consistent in what you believe in, in your policies? I think that is the most important thing. Changing party is part of our political development process.”