Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The former Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCO), Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has predicted a landslide victory for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the 2019 elections.
He also said that there is no basis to compare the former Vice-President to President Muhammadu Buhari, as the President lacks the basic qualities of a good leader and manager of human resources, against Atiku, who he said has all it takes to be a good leader and change agent that Nigerians are clamouring for.
Daniel added that having travelled to all the states across the federation, he realised that Nigerians are tired of the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration and are determined to vote out the present government.
Daniel, who made this known yesterday, while featuring on ARISE TV, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY, also stated that there was no backlash over the choice of the former Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi as Atiku’s running mate.
According to him, “Atiku will win and I’m looking at a possible landslide. I will explain to you. First thing first: in the last one year, I have travelled out twice, physically visited all the 36 states of Nigeria. “The narration has not changed, and what I can tell you is that going round this country in the last one year, has shown that the people are fed up; everywhere we went to it is the same story, we want to change the change, so don’t discountenance that.”
On the choice of Obi as Atiku’s running mate, the former governor stressed that it would be unnatural not to have some dissenting opinions when the choice of Obi was made.
He stated: “Quite a number of people were hoping that they might get it, and then all of a sudden somebody was picked. It will be unnatural not to have some backlash and what I noticed is that even all the people who had issues did not complain about the capacity of Peter Obi, they say he is very frugal. That ordinarily is supposed to be an asset.
“Being frugal in an environment like this — where the people have complained that government had being wasteful, they have not done what they are supposed to do with the resources of the nation, I think he will be an asset
“When you begin to look at being frugal as a liability, then we have a problem. This economy is now upside down. So, I think the point I want to make is that look at all the people who had issues, they did not had issues with about Peter Obi, the person, all I have been hearing is that they did not consult us
“I accept (not consulting); that might have being an oversight and we are making amends; we are reaching out to people, and I have no doubt in my mind that increasingly this thing will subside.”
On corruption perception about Atiku, Daniel said that many Nigeria do not believe rumours and gossips.
