Aliyu Babangida
‘Win Niger first for PDP before boasting to Atiku about Rivers’ – Northern youth tackle Babangida
Northern Youths Movement (NYM) has reacted to the former Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida’s assurances to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar that votes from the Rivers State electorate will not matter to him in the 2023 General Elections.
Babangida was reacting to statements credited to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who had claimed that the votes from his people will count, following his perceived marginalisation within the main opposition party.
After losing out during the Presidential primary of the PDP to Atiku, Governor Wike also lost the party’s Vice Presidential slot to the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, a situation which did not sit well with the party chieftain.
However, responding to Babangida’s assurances and guarantees to Atiku to call the bluff of Wike, the Northern youth group told the former Niger Governor to first secure his own state before boasting about another.
The group urged Babangida Aliyu to concentrate on winning Niger State for the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, rather than boasting that Atiku will win Rivers State in the election.
The NYM in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, and signed by its Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the NYM said empty assurance by the likes of Dr Aliyu was the reason Atiku is ‘carrying on as if he had already won the presidential election,’ advising further rather than relying on votes from Rivers State and other South South States, Babangida Aliyu should strive to deliver Niger State to his party, for the first time since 2011.
The NYM, which described as a notorious fact the abysmal performance of the PDP in the presidential poll in Niger State since 2011, pointed out that even with Dr Babangida Aliyu as sitting Governor, PDP lost woefully in the State in 2011 and 2015.
“For record purpose, in the 2011 presidential election, PDP lost Niger State with over 300,000 votes while the party lost with over 500,000 votes in 2015.
“In 2011 when Babangida Aliyu was Governor of Niger State, PDP had 321,429 votes as against Congress for Progressive Change’s 652,574.
“Still with him as governor in 2015, PDP had 149,222 votes while APC had 657,678.
“In 2019, with Atiku on the ballot as PDP candidate, APC won with 394,319 votes. PDP had 218,052 votes while APC had 612,371.
“With results of the presidential elections in 2011, 2015 and 2019 highlighted above, where is the moral standing of the likes of Babangida Aliyu that are giving Atiku false confidence rather than telling him the truth so that he can buckle up and work hard to be able to win?
“It is therefore our plea that people like Babangida Aliyu should leave Atiku alone and let him act in a manner that will show to Nigerians that he is willing to win the election, not just to be on the ballot and as usual, run to Dubai after the election,” the NYM said.
