By Our Reporter
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned supporters of all presidential aspirants to desist from creating divisions within the fold while backing their principals ahead of the party’s primary election this year, saying that those involved in the act were clearly working to the advantage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
ADC spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, sounded this warning on Saturday in Abuja, saying that he had engaged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Labour Party candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi and former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State on the need to strengthen unity, focus and shared commitment that would guarantee victory for the party in the forthcoming elections.
Abdullahi said he had also met with the likes of former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over the matter, saying that, while the party would struggle to heal wounds and prepare for the polls if elections were conducted this year, an earlier election would also work for the ADC because Nigerians were tired of the APC administration.
Atiku and Obi's supporters, it would be recalled, had in recent weeks been at loggerheads ahead of the party primary election.
While Obi supporters are calling for the former Vice President Atiku to step down and support the former Anambra State governor’s candidacy, Atiku supporters insisted that he remained the candidate to beat, insisting that all aspirants must test their mettle at the primaries.
Abdullahi, while speaking on the issue, said he spent time talking to Atiku, Obi, Amaechi, El-Rufai, among others, who had indicated interests to vying for the presidential ticket of our party, with the aim "to strengthen and unite ADC, adding:"The the general consensus seemed to be that we have a job to do to make this country a better place."
"I spent time talking to His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi who have indicated interests to vying for the presidential ticket of our party as well as the likes of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to strengthen our party and unite it and, the general consensus seems to be that we have a job to do to make this country a better place.
“Our leaders are all aware of the task ahead and everyone of them is committed to ensuring that we win this election," he said.
"Whether the elections take place this year or next year, it will be a double work for us and also work against us. It will work against us because as an opposition, we need time to heal wounds after our primaries because we cannot afford to go into a bruised primaries and quickly put ourselves together for the elections. So on that note, we prefer next year, on the other hand, holding an election the advantage we will have is that people are already tired of this administration, but in all of these we are not in a position to decide when that election should hold but that is the truth.
"Let me also say this, those supporting this divisiveness by supporters of any of the aspirants should stop what they are doing because they are clearly working to the advantage of the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
"Saying it is either this candidate or nothing is not helpful because getting the ticket alone means nothing, what is important is winning the election and we cannot carry this divisiveness and expect to win.
"We believe that all our aspirants are eminently qualified and vilifying anybody or any region is not helpful and will make it more difficult. We are going to commence the process of strengthening and having our leaders speak unity amongst themselves.
"We are going to ignore people cresting exceptionality and we going to focus on what we are doing because we want to win this elections.
"Those shouting Peter Obi or nothing are equally not helping him. They are preaching division and they are not selling him. They are not providing the room for people to support him from other places, they should stop making other people to take hard stances because everyone needs to be on board for us to win this election," he added.
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