Former Edo State Commissioner of Information, and aide to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Kassim Afegbua, has knocked the chances of the former number two man running for the 2023 presidency on account of old age.
Afegbua, a foundation member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement on Sunday after a press conference in Abuja, said the PDP would be shooting itself in the foot if it gives its presidential ticket to Atiku, saying it was not only immoral to do so but a disservice to better qualified candidates.
Afegbua also urged the former Vice President to forget his personal ambition and throw his weight behind a younger candidate of the South-East extraction.
“Having concluded the convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, with a new leadership that looks promising, the party will have to rise above board to produce a presidential candidate from the Southern part of the country to complete the narrative,” Afegbua said in the statement.
“With the abysmal performance of President Muhammadu Buhari on account of age, incompetence and lack of capacity and political will to take deliberate and sustained action to bail out the country from all manner of challenges, it will be immoral for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to continue to express interest in seeking election in the 2023 presidential election having attained the retirement age.
“He cannot assume the role of a perpetual candidate or professional aspirant year in, year out, as though the party was established for him alone.
“It defeats all sense of logic for such an old man to attempt another round of political contest at a time the general feeling and mood in the country supports a younger Nigerian from the Southern part of the country.
“For me, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should drop his quest for presidency and support a southern Nigerian candidate in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, that will assuage the feelings of stakeholders from the Southern part of Nigeria.
“It will be against the run of play and natural justice for any aspirant of Northern extraction to show interest in the 2023 presidential election within the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
“It will offend national sentiments, emotions and logic for anyone from the North to show such interest given our diversities and hetereogenous political configurations.
“Given PDP’s doctrine of political power balancing and fairness, it will be against its own unwritten rule to cede the ticket to any Northern aspirant least of all Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”
