The confession by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that he worked for the All Progressives Congress APC victory only to be dumped by the government formed by President Muhammadu Buhari remains very much in the news.
We serve you excerpts of Atiku’s interview with VOA Hausa as monitored and translated by Daily Trust newspapers
Speaking from Yola,Adamawa State, Atiku said: “Honestly speaking, I’m still a member of the APC; I was part of all the processes, including campaigns until success was achieved.
“But sadly, soon after the formation of government; I was side-lined, I have no any relationship with the government, I’ve not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance. They used our money and influence to get to where they’re but three years down the lane, this is where we are”.
On fight against Boko Haram: “Yes, there were successes but not comprehensive success because the Boko Haram miscreants are still very active, killing our people and many local government councils in Borno and Yobe are under their firm grip. People cannot dare go back to their dwellings
“This thing baffles me; I never imagined that Nigeria will fight a protracted battle with Boko Haram for five years. At a time, we fought the Biafra war, which was more complicated because of the terrain in the South but the Biafran soldiers were roundly subdued in 30 months. But here we’re, fighting an endless battle with the Boko Haram and there’s no end in sight,” he said.
Atiku on Buhari’s Anti corruption war: “How many people were arrested, prosecuted and jailed? How much was recovered from the looters?” he asked.
“When we came on board in 1999, I remember we recovered between $4.5 and $4.7 billion from those that looted under (Late Sani) Abacha.”
Transcript culled from Daily Trust
