Former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar on Monday said he regretted not doing much to help the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) win in Lagos state when he had the opportunity in 2003.
Abubakar, a PDP presidential
aspirant, spoke in Lagos while holding a meeting with members of the party in
the state.
The meeting was part of his
nationwide tour of state chapters, to seek support for his aspiration ahead of
2019 general election.
He said before the 2003
elections, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo gave him the task to deliver the six
south-west states then governed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the PDP.
Abubakar said in carrying out the
task, he delivered all the states to PDP, except Lagos.
The former vice-president said he
deliberately did not do much to win Lagos because of his relationship with Bola
Tinubu who was governor of the state at the time.
He apologised to party members
for what he called his mistake, saying Lagos would have been better off, if he
had delivered it to the PDP then.
“When we came to power in 1999,
the entire south-western states were controlled by the AD. And when we were
approaching the 2003 elections, I told my boss, give me the chance to take over
the south-west and he gave me that authority, and I took all the states with
the exception of Lagos,” he said.
“Why? Because Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
and I came a long way from the SDP, PDM and all of that, and I felt I should
leave Lagos for him. In fact, I could easily have taken over Lagos, but I did
not.
“I have since regretted my
decision; please, my sisters and brothers in the party, I want you to forgive
me for taking Lagos out of that arrangement.
“If I have another opportunity
again, Lagos will be taken to where it belongs. So, I am appealing to you to
give me that opportunity so that I can correct the mistakes that I made.”
Abubakar said his decision to
seek the number one seat in the country was to reposition and put it on the
path of progress.
He said the country was having
serious issues in the areas of economy and security, promising to fix the
problems if elected.
Abubakar said the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC) had failed to deliver the promised change.
He said he was committed to the idea
of restructuring, and believed it was key to the country’s progress.
The former vice-president said he
would restructure the country within six months in office, if given the
mandate.
“If I am elected, I will make the
centre unattractive and ensure that power devolves to the states”, he said.
He called on party members across
the country to support his bid as he meant well for the country.
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