AC: Atiku won’t step down for Buhari
The Action Congress (AC) has said that its presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, will not step down for the ANPP presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, as speculated in some newspapers yesterday.
In a statement by the party’s National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, in London yesterday, the AC said under its alliance with the ANPP, only the presidential candidates themselves can decide whether or not they will step down for each other.
“Atiku has said that he will not step down for Buhari, and the AC remains solidly behind him as our presidential candidate,” the party said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we remain committed to our alliance with the ANPP, and talks have been fixed for January 9th 2007 to move the alliance forward,” the party said.
However, the AC said those who are flying the kite of Atiku’s purported decision to step down, or that of the leadership of the AC opting for the ANPP candidate because of the VP’s current travails, are only trying to find another way to actualize their failed bid to stop the VP from running for the country’s highest office.
The party recalled its earlier pledge to stick to the VP as its candidate, even if he is imprisoned, adding: “Atiku Abubakar is not under threat of being ineligible to run for the presidency of our great country.’’
“His so-called indictment by a Kangaroo panel has been set aside by a competent court, and we remain solidly behind him,’’ AC said.
It said all the erroneous speculations that the AC leadership may have dumped Atiku, which were credited to fictitious AC leaders, and the talk of AC being a junior alliance with ANPP are nothing short of an extension of the evil machinations of the VP’s traducers.
“AC leaders are men and women of integrity, who do not hide under the cloak of anonymity,” the party said.
“The kite-flying is a continuation of the pull-down-Atiku syndrome, which has failed in the past two years and which will also fail in the days ahead,” AC added.