Presidential campaigns, since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, have never been taken to such a frenzy height like Hajia Titi Abubakar, the wife of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, is doing. The campaign for the February 16 presidential election is already intense, even as Titi has taken the South West Zone of the country by storm. She had embarked on an aggressive sensitisation of women and youths in the states making up the South West region.
Mrs Abubakar was in Abeokuta where she and her entourage paid a courtesy visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his presidential library. The message of the wife of the PDP presidential candidate was clear and direct: She advised women and youth in the country to put an end to the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party had failed the nation. She lamented the incompetence of President Muhammadu Buhari and the sorry state of the nation’s economy.
The remarks of Chief Obasanjo was not in any way different from that of Mrs Abubakar. The former president remained unbended in his harsh criticism of President Buhari. He urged all Nigerians, particularly women and youth to salvage their destinies by voting out the APC government. Obasanjo particularly implored people of the South West not to make the mistake of giving their votes to President Buhari since he had openly confessed that he could not entrust people from other regions with certain sensitive positions and responsibilities.
Madam Abubakar again took her campaign tour to her place of birth place in Ijesa land where she was received by the paramount ruler of Ijesa land, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran. Mrs Atiku Abubakar encouraged women and youths in Osun State to roundly reject APC and President Buhari during the February 16 presidential election. From there, the train of the wife of former vice president stopped over at Ede and Osogbo where she solicited support of the Timi of Ede and the Ataoja of Osogbo, in her quest to canvass support for her husband.
Mrs Abubakar’s sensitisation campaign train was at Oyo Town and Iseyin. At Oyo, she solicited the support and blessings of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and vigorously sensitised the people of Oyo and Iseyin on why they have to vote for her husband in the forthcoming presidential election. Mrs Abubakar also had a meeting with former Oyo State governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala in Ibadan and afterwards addressed and encouraged a crowd of supporters to vote Atiku in the February election.
The train moved from Osun State to Akure, the Ondo State capital, where she addressed women and youths at the PDP Secretariat. She did not mince words in telling the gathering to reject Buhari and APC at the polls on February 16 as she began her address by reeling out the failures of the Buhari administration. Mrs Abubakar was quite categorical that Nigerians must reject Buhari at the polls because he had failed to deliver on his electoral promises. Mrs Abubakar also took the sensitisation campaign to the Akure home-stead of the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti. The Afenifere leader assured Mrs Abubakar of the support of the Yoruba socio-cultural group for her husband because of his disposition to restructure the country.
Mrs Abubakar restated the good plans and commitment of her husband towards developing and making Nigeria to work again. She declared thus: “I want to appeal to our women and youths to vote for Atiku. He has plans for you in his cabinet if he is elected as the president of this country. Our youths have turned to beggars and miscreants in the streets as a result of joblessness. All the things they (APC) promised were not fulfilled. There is serious hunger in the land and they have no solution to it; their government has failed. Anybody that performed well in the office will be returned. But in the case of APC, they have performed woefully and they cannot return. Despite their failure, they are still desperate to return. We should reject them with our votes and I know God will not allow them to return.”
She equally paid a visit to Chief Olu Falae, a chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Chief Falae canvassed support for Atiku during the visit as he urged Nigerians to overwhelmingly support his candidature. She also visited and solicited the support of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade. The sensitisation train was in Owo where she paid a courtesy visit to the Olowo of Owo, Oba Falagbade Olateru-Olagbegi. The monarch gave his royal blessings to the PDP presidential candidate. At the palace of the paramount ruler of Ondo Kingdom, she was given royal blessings by the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Adesimbo Victor Kiladejo.
Also, Mrs Abubakar met with Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), the Ondo State governorship candidate of PDP in the 2017 election. She also held strategic meetings with all the leaders of PDP in Ondo State who leaders assured that state would be massively delivered for Atiku and PDP during the presidential polls. National Vice Chairman of PDP (South West), Eddy Olafeso, however urged all party members in Ondo State to remain steadfast and focused in ensuring that Atiku Abubakar becomes the next president of Nigeria at the polls.
- Salako writes from Akure, Ondo State.
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