Indications have emerged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may embark on foreign tour any moment from now, in order to market the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Independent quoted one of his aides as saying that the former leader would visit leading countries and international organisations such as the United States, EU and the United Nations “where he will appeal to them to take special interest in the forthcoming election and also canvass for a leadership change to save Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, from the brinks of collapse caused by the Buhari presidency”.
Speaking on why Obasanjo has not been visible at the rallies of Atiku as he has always done with former candidates he endorsed, the aide said Obasanjo believes Atiku has the support of Nigerians already.
“The former president believes Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has national appeal and he is loved by Nigerians. Atiku, a former vice president, is already a known public figure who needs no introduction to Nigerians. You can see the show of love to him by Nigerians everywhere he goes. From the youths to the elderly, men and women, Nigerians are yearning for Atiku and they want him to preside over the affairs of the country come May 2019.
“So, there is no need for Baba (Obasanjo) to follow him about on his campaign. Atiku and the PDP can take care of that and from what we are seeing, they are doing a fantastic job. As an internationally acclaimed and highly respected former president whose voice carries enormous weight in the international community, Obasanjo’s focus, for now, is to market Atiku to the international community and convince world leaders that Atiku’s presidency will usher in a new dawn for Nigeria and reposition the economy.
“The APC government having seen Atiku as a threat has made a lot of negative comments about him just to tarnish his image. So, from what I know, the former president will soon embark on foreign trips where he will not only drum up support for Atiku but also appeal to the international community to take special interest in the presidential election, especially after he has gathered that the Buhari administration has perfected plans to rig the election”, he alleged.
