Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed his displeasure at the Buhari-led federal government, saying he was sidelined by the President and the party (All Progressives Congress) he helped brought to power.
In an exclusive interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America, VOA, Atiku alleged that despite his efforts in making sure that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was defeated in 2015, he was deliberately kept away from government and decision making.
His words: “Honestly speaking, I’m still a member of the APC; I was part of all the processes, including campaigns until success was achieved.”
“But sadly, soon after the formation of government; I was side-lined, I have no any relationship with the government, I’ve not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance. They used our money and influence to get to where they are but three years down the lane, this is where we are.”
Speaking on the fight against Boko Haram, Atiku mentioned that “the ruling government had failed in many fronts.
“Yes, there were successes but not comprehensive success because the Boko Haram miscreants are still very active, killing our people and many local government councils in Borno and Yobe are under their firm grip. People cannot dare go back to their dwellings.
“This thing baffles me; I never imagined that Nigeria will fight a protracted battle with Boko Haram for five years. At a time, we fought the Biafra war, which was more complicated because of the terrain in the South but the Biafran soldiers were roundly subdued in 30 months. But here we are, fighting an endless battle with the Boko Haram and there’s no end in sight”.
On corruption, Mr. Abubakar said little was achieved, asking “How many people were arrested, prosecuted and jailed? How much was recovered from the looters?”
He also made reference to the achievement of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, during which he was vice president, in recovering stolen funds.
“When we came on board in 1999, I remember we recovered between $4.5 and $4.7 billion from those that looted under (Late Sani) Abacha,” he said.
