Tinubu rips Atiku's presidential ambition apart, says PDP won't return to power in 2019

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has dismissed the presidential ambition of former vice president, Atiku Abubukar, declaring him unfit to lead the nation.

Atiku is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and considered to be the biggest obstacle to the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari who's the APC's candidate.

While speaking at a forum organised by the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups in Abuja on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, Tinubu said the former vice president lacks focus so much that he has changed parties many times to push his personal interest.

He further ripped into the PDP as a party that has greatly failed Nigerians in the past and, as punishment, isn't yet deserving of a return to power. He said Atiku's promises to transform the nation are unreliable because he and the PDP have failed to improve the country in the past.

He said, "Their candidate, who is supposed to beat Buhari, has been in our party and many other parties. He has more party membership cards to build a house.

"All you have to do is to go out there and tell him that a house built on cards will be collapsed with a single stroke of broom. He said they are reformed, but reformed what? Reformed PDP? No. Tell them as you go out that we accept the admission of guilt that they were vagabonds before and now being reformed.

"But they have not served enough probation. You can only be reformed if you are an ex-convict, a drug addict or a political prostitute. It is because Buhari has no temperament and no tolerance for corruption, he is vigorously ridding the nation of blemish and looting.

"They are busy changing parties and that is why they are confused. Atiku is now PDP Aladdin. He is going to create 14 million jobs and I say how?

"They will turn Atlantic into fuel to crash the prices without the refineries working and the population is expanding and people must move around. He just talked of crashing the prices of fuel. They are lying again because a leopard cannot change its skin."

Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, further highlighted the achievements of President Buhari's administration and said it'll be impossible for Atiku and the PDP to remove him from the Presidential Villa.

2019 presidential election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (left) and President Muhammadu Buhari (right) ece-auto-gen

While next year's election, scheduled for February 16, 2019, is expected to be keenly-contested between Atiku and President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), they both face competition from other candidates including Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Obiageli Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Others are Tope Fasua of the Abundance Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Eunice Atuejide of the National Interest Party (NIP), Adesina Fagbenro-Byron of the Kowa Party (KP), Chike Ukaegbu of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Hamza Al-Mustapha of the People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), Obadiah Mailafia of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and many more.