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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he will defeat President Muhammadu Buhari easily if the president runs against him in 2019.
“I will definitely beat him this time. He has wasted a lot of his massive goodwill”, Atiku said.
The former vice-president said this in an interview with Dele Momodu, published in The Boss Newspaper.
According to Atiku, many associates of President Buhari are “disgruntled but keeping quiet and lying low”.
Our youths are suffering terribly and now they are being sold into slavery. Everyone knows my track record of inviting and attracting a good team and giving them the opportunity to work professionally. Nigerians are tired of leaders who cannot think big and work big,” he added.
The former VP said he would be ready from day one should Nigerians elect him president in 2019.
Atiku dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress last week Friday, citing alleged failure by the Buhari administration to improve the quality of life in the country and neglect of the youth in federal cabinet appointment.
He is suspected to be planning to rejoin the Peoples Democratic Party, which has opened its doors to him.
But speaking to Premium Times on phone on Saturday, the national spokesperson for the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, countered Atiku’s assertion, saying Mr. Buhari would handily beat the former president should he stand for re-election.
His words: “I believe that the reasons Nigerians voted for President Buhari in 2015 are still pertinent. They voted President Buhari because they needed a leader who has integrity, strong on corruption and capable of defeating Boko Haram.
“If he stands for election in 2019, we believe Nigerians would still vote for him.