As the 2019 general election approaches, the support base of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has continued to swell.
The African Democratic Congress has said that it is in full support of the decision of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) to endorse the presidential candidate of the PDP as its joint presidential candidate.
The National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralphs Nwosu, who disclosed this during ADC’s Fund Raising Dinner/First Annual Global Handshake Awards, in Abuja on Friday, said ADC’s main priority was the wellbeing of Nigeria.
The party was some months back endorsed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a platform for Nigerians.
Obasanjo also recently endorsed Abubakar for next year’s presidential election.
Nwosu said as a party with integrity, ADC would always abide with the provisions of the CUPP Memorandum of Understanding and assured members, stakeholders and supporters that all grey areas would be addressed to ensure that all ADC votes were protected in the National Assembly and other elections.
Nwosu said this just as he maintained that ADC’s 115 sitting legislators at the state and federal levels and others contesting election at different levels would defeat the ruling and other parties
in 2019.
On the fate of the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, the National Chairman explained that all presidential aspirants had been properly briefed before the primary on the decision of the party to adhere strictly to the provisions of the CUPP MoU.
Nwosu said: “Our presidential aspirants were properly briefed before and during the screening exercise for the primary.
“We made it clear to them that they, and presidential candidates of other member parties, would have to go into the CUPP basket from where the best would emerge, based on consensus.
“We made it clear that the party would uphold the decision of CUPP even if they eventually did not make it, because our first priority is to deliver the nation from the hands of the ruling party, and no onecan do it alone.
“Since our guide, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has adopted ADC and played a critical role in the formation of CUPP, we have decided that we will follow the directions given by the Coalition team because we believe they are people of integrity. Our candidate will also respect that decision.”
The Deputy National Chairman, Strategy, Innovation, and Change, Dr. Chike Okogwu, said: “The ruling government has failed the nation, especially in the management of our economy.
“How can the Federal Government earn about N8.4 trillion but spend N6.4 trillion on fuel importation, thus needing to borrow money to pay salaries and provide unsustainable infrastructure projects?”
“The candidate of CUPP will ensure local governments in Nigeria go into generating 30MW of power from either of solar, wind, hydro, gas, coal, and waste dumpsites, among others. Improved power generationwill drive innovation and industrialisation.”
