By Barrister Adewale Ogungbade
Your Excellencies,
#TrackNigeria: We wish to bring to your notice some of the challenges in which Atiku support groups are currently facing, in case you are not fully aware of those challenges. Firstly, we have painstakingly watched the ways and manners in which all support groups of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are being managed under the directorate of Support Groups, led by Dr. Nathaniel Yaduma. Sir, we had hoped that there will be better treatment for these groups of patriotic Nigerians in Getting Nigeria Working Again. Unfortunately, what the support groups experienced prior to the PDP presidential primary elections, held in Port Harcourt last year, is the same thing that these groups of people are witnessing now.
When the support groups were under the leadership of Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCO), they were treated like just anyhow. They were neither appreciated, carried along or mobilised despite a lot of funds earmarked for these category of groups who are the major grassroots backers in all the elections. The nonchalant attitudes of the people who were saddled with the responsibilities of managing these groups had resulted to few supports who had to withdrew their supports, in terms of their resources, due to lack of motivations.
Sir, with the bad scenarios in APCO, one can only expect improved situations in the case of Support Groups management under the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PDP). Unfortunately, those who mismanaged the groups at the APCO is the same set of people who are saddled with the same responsibilities at PCC. This is the major reason why we are yet to get a better result quite different from the earlier ones.
Like earlier failures, we are also surprised with the manner in which few support groups were selected by Dr. Nathaniel Yaduma for a scheduled meeting with His Excellency, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adura Centre, Abuja, on February 5, 2019. We got to know later that only 500 groups were selected for invitation out of over 5,000 registered support groups. With the resources made available for the said meeting, one could only ask for the rationale behind sending invitation messages to only 500 groups while neglecting over 4,500 others! We see this as another wrong step in weaken the strengths and motivations of all genuinely registered support groups. The implication of this, is a signal towards a danger ahead as we are moving closer to the general elections, especially, the presidential polls.
Based on the abovementioned facts, we hereby resolved as follow:
- That the critical roles being played by all Atiku Support Groups are important and all of them should be treated equally by the leadership of the Presidential Campaign structures and their appointees;
- That the need and concerns of the supports groups are attended to, within the shortest possible time, as the presidential election is just few days ahead;
- That Dr. Nathaniel Yaduma’s heading of the directorate of Support Groups, both at APCO and PCC, have caused more damages to the personality of our Principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and our much cherished PDP. Thus, we hereby passed a vote of no confidence on him; and
- That since the appointment of Amb. Aliyu Bin Abbas as the Special Adviser on Youth and Support Groups to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he has done tremendously well by working closely with the real support groups, appreciated their untiring efforts, attended to their complaints and appointed them into various committees for the purpose of working assiduously in winning the presidential election for our principal, come February 16, 2019. Thus, we have no other option than to pass a vote of confidence on him as someone who has the capacity, experience and sagacity to effectively attend to the concerns of all Atiku support groups.
Lastly, our demand is to urgently correct all the anomalies already identified before they build up to work against our collective mission in delivering our principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Likewise, we want to assure Your Excellencies that will not be distracted from working for the victory of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
We thank you all for your kind attentions.
Signed:
Barr. Adewale Ogungbade,
The Coordinator,
South West Support Groups for Atiku
February 5, 2019
