Abuja/Kaduna — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday said he has joined forces with two presidential candidates from the north, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The trio said they are joining forces to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan does not emerge victorious in the forthcoming presidential election.

They spoke on a programme on the Hausa Service Voice of America (VOA) monitored in Kaduna yesterday. They said President Jonathan was unfit to continue to rule Nigeria.

Atiku said it would be wrong for Nigerians to accept President Jonathan for the 2011 election because he was not prepared for leadership and had no political ideology.

He said Nigeria has been pushed into a very bad situation and that a Jonathan presidency will continue to see Nigerians the worse off.

Shekarau lashed out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describing it as a corrupt party.

He urged Nigerians to demand from the PDP what it has done with the huge amount of money said to have been expended on electricity in Nigeria, while millions of Nigerians are still in darkness.

For Ribadu, after several years that PDP has been in power, there is nothing to show for it. He urged Nigerians to demand for a change.

Meanwhile, Atiku yesterday rejected insinuations that he had a hand in the chains of events that led to the forced resignation of the former National Chairman of the PDP Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

A statement by his campaign organisation said: "The former Vice President could not have been responsible for Nwodo's downfall when he (Atiku) himself was a direct victim of the former chairman's insincerity, double standard, opportunism, selfishness and mischief.

"The erstwhile chairman delivered the convention to the President but they still went on baying for his blood. That tells you there was more to it than the eye could see. Someone wants blood and you give him palm oil. Does that satisfy him?" the statement contended.

Atiku in the statement recalled that a few weeks to the convention, Nwodo did everything to frustrate Atiku's presidential ambition by making impossible a meeting intended to discuss the modalities of how the January 15, 2011 convention was to hold.

"Nwodo did not agree to meet or even answer phone calls for upwards of two months now. He frustrated every meeting my campaign organisation had requested to discuss serious issues that border on free and fair election, especially the need to create a level-playing ground in which no delegate would feel constrained or intimidated to choose their preferred candidate".

The statement said Nwodo caused crises across the country in many chapters of the party, including Enugu State, where he and Governor Sullivan Chime were engaged in a bitter battle of supremacy.

"It is clear that the former chairman had enough home troubles to contend with," Atiku furthered maintained.

As for the issue of Atiku's return to the party and subsequent waiver granted him to run for the party's ticket, the campaign organisation said the then chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party were confronted with a fait accompli since the former Vice President was among those re-integrated by the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Committee set up to reconcile the party.

Atiku insisted that he did not have anything to do with the removal and distanced himself from any suggestions that his failed presidential bid was responsible for the unceremonious exit of Nwodo.


http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201101190511.html

Ribadu has totally disappointed us by joining forces with the corrupt politicians.

If true, he has let himself down.

The story continues,  

What next?

This 2011 election will be most intriguing

That will ruin Ribadu's credibility.It might rejuvenate his shortcomings of playing ball the kinpin OBJ.

Wait first, let us hear from Ribadu and know what his plans are. Atiku has done nothing wrong IMO, he has mostly just been at the right place at the wrong time. That said lets wait and see, I wonder why Ribadu did not tweet this? He usually does.

Ribadu has always found solace in the company of 'sacred cow' crooks. Who can forget him absolving Bode George of any wrongdoing in 2006? Or his refusal to hear any petitions concerning OBJ, IBB and other sacred cows?

He is tarnishing his political image

The news is from DailyChampions not the Allafrica editorial.

It is just sound irrational for Ribadu to join forces with Atiku less than week from their primaries without even a running mate yet.

There is something wrong. This is the VOA website and it carries all yesterday's and monday's news. Can anybody that understand Hausa try to listen to Yesterday's morning programme and explain to those that don't understand Hausa what is being said?

http://www.voanews.com/hausa/audio/

The morning news broadcasted separate interviews from Atiku even before the primaries. Then a separate statements from Ribadu campaigning for himself attacking PDP, Shekarau attacking PDP, then Bafarawa about why he quit the primaries. No where in the news it was said they are conducting interviews of the 4 presidential aspirants and nowhere they said they were joining forces. Infact, they stated the are still waiting to hear from Atiku about his next of step after losing the primaries to Jonathan.

This is just poor journalism. Lack of proper vetting of news before going to press.

It is a lie.

the news was wrong. the translators were wrong. non where supporting each other. if you understand the news listen from the website or get anyone you know understand hausa to translate it for you.

Tsiya:

The news is from DailyChampions not the Allafrica editorial.

It is just sound irrational for Ribadu to join forces with Atiku less than week from their primaries without even a running mate yet.

There is something wrong. This is the VOA website and it carries all yesterday's and monday's news. Can anybody that understand Hausa try to listen to Yesterday's morning programme and explain to those that don't understand Hausa what is being said?

http://www.voanews.com/hausa/audio/

The morning news broadcasted separate interviews from Atiku even before the primaries. Then a separate statements from Ribadu campaigning for himself attacking PDP, Shekarau attacking PDP, then Bafarawa about why he quit the primaries. No where in the news it was said they are conducting interviews of the 4 presidential aspirants and nowhere they said they were joining forces. Infact, they stated the are still waiting to hear from Atiku about his next of step after losing the primaries to Jonathan.

This is just poor journalism. Lack of proper vetting of news before going to press.

It is a lie.

Thank you sir  

Thanks for that clarification. . . .I found it curious that all three had so quickly come together.

Frosbel you dont want me to vote abi?

Guys I am always the first to admit my error when it has been pointed out.

I was canvassing for Ribadu myself , ONLY to see the article at work this afternoon, as soon as I read it, I lost all hope.

Anyway thanks for the correction.

But if I may say, I will still investigate to the root of this article , nd hopefully be able to conclude that this was a journalistic error.

Thanks Tsiya, I owe you a drink ( diet coke )

^^ Can you change your thread title to reflect the uncertainty of the news?

debosky:

^^ Can you change your thread title to reflect the uncertainty of the news?

Nope

I am taken aback by comments from some Nairalanders against the decision by Ribadu to join forces with others to defeat GEJ. As a presidential candidate in his own right, do these folks expect Ribadu to work for the election of GEJ or to work for his defeat? Why is he asking for our votes if he is not genuinely interested in contesting and winning. I am even suprised that people will stick their neck out to support any candidate from the PDP stable given our experience in the last 12 years. Election is supposed to be a serious business, people exercise their votes based on the conviction that the person they are supporting is capable of delivering on party manifesto and promises made during elections. PDP has had their chance and opportunity three times and they blew it. Why anyone would want to trust the same party for the fourth time is beyond reason. But heck, you make the decision and live with it for another 4 years.

hope team gej never bust a nut