By Olusola Alatise, Fatima Muraina & Kayode Crown
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A vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as president of Nigeria during next year’s general election portends danger for the country.

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress, Chief Olu Adegboro sounded the alarm while being a guest of Owena Press Platform, opining that the former vice president was merely campaigning about restructuring in order to hoodwink Nigerians.

He said that nobody has faulted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s position on Atiku with regards to corruption, adding that he used his position then as Vice-president to acquire illegal wealth.

Adegboro, who posited that the followers of Atiku are agents of corruption submitted that the emergence of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate as Nigeria’s President will push Yoruba to the background.

“Nobody has faulted the position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. Atiku used his position to acquire wealth. All those following him are agents of corruption.

“Atiku is a politician, who understands the mentality of some leaders in the country and using his illegally acquired wealth to achieve his aim. He cannot go to United States of America now even to see his investments.

“One feels sad that somebody like that could emerge as a presidential candidate of a major political party.”

He said it is only the All Progressives Congress-led administration that has properly taken care of Yoruba interest, noting that if the party wins in 2019, it will continue to build on that and will ensure Yoruba of its rightful position in the country.

The former Commissioner for Information in Ondo State listed the achievements of the APC led federal government to include: fighting corruption, stabilising the economy, accountability, among others.

Adegboro said that the restructuring of Nigeria is a priority to the APC-led federal government but does not want to embark on it in a hurry to the detriment of other areas of governance.

“Restructuring has to be done systematically. The federal government gave priority to restructuring, that was why a restructuring committee headed by Governor Nasir El Rufai was set up.

“But the government cannot just focus on restructuring and abandon all other areas. If that is done, the consequences will be dangerous.”

On the Pan Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere openly supporting a political party, Adegboro decried the idea, saying it is not the best.

He said the progressives in the southwest are now in All Progressives Congress and the APC leadership of the likes of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is seen as a threat to Afenifere.

“The leadership of Afenifere supported former President Goodluck Jonathan even when he didn’t implement the report of Confab committee then. They see the APC leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a threat to their traditional political agenda.

“Progressives in southwest are APC members. All of us today in APC are products of progressivism of the southwest. But some of the elders are against APC because they know that President Buhari is tough.”

On automatic ticket for serving members of the National Assembly of the party, the party chieftain said it is a way of compensating loyal party members who stood behind the President and the party during their trying period.

“Automatic ticket is not a bad idea but to show gratitude. It could have been possible for Senator Saraki and others to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari then if not for the absolute loyalty of some of the senators.”

On the efficiency of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, publishers of the defunct Oodua Voice who commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for establishing it gave kudos to the agency but noted that the sister ICPC has been less effective.

“The fear of EFCC is the beginning of wisdom. EFCC is not for vendetta but an agency that has been fighting corruption, unfortunately, the other agency, ICPC has not been performing as vibrantly as EFCC.”

Chief Adegboro, who submitted that there is no alternative to federalism, however disagreed with the Federal executive on the proposed policy of no work no pay, saying workers should be allowed to have a way of agitating for their rights.

While expressing misgivings at the advent of vote buying in the country, he warned that it is a way to have bad eggs take over the leadership of the country, which would be a bad development.