BUHARI and ATIKU 2019: "EAGLE vs EAGLE"

A well known Christian cleric, former running mate to President Mohammad Buhari, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has aired his offerings as to what the victory of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar means for both PDP and APC - Bakare said that the emergence of Atiku will surely make the 2019 presidential election an interesting one - He with optimism said that this is because both Atiku and President Muhammadu Buhari enjoy almost equal degree of acceptance from Nigerians The convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare on Sunday, October 7, congratulated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his emergence as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after a keenly contested presidential primaries. According to Bakare, Atiku’s victory would make the 2019 election keen and interesting. Bakare, Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly, spoke to newsmen in Ikeja after making a speech on Nigeria’s 58th Independence in his church, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. • "I congratulate him (Abubakar), he makes the issue in 2019 more robust. It is not going an eaglet versus an eagle but an eagle versus eagle: an old eagle versus new eagle and probably both of them old eagles." • “I wish president Muhammadu Buhari the best in 2019. He has the power of incumbency and he will do his best to win the election, but Atiku is not going to take No for an answer when the two forces collide in the election.” • “I can’t say Atiku will win or lose. You see, I am not advocating for him. Among all the aspirants who contested the PDP’s ticket with him, he is perhaps the most cosmopolitan,he is a Wazobia man." • “He was Vice-President for eight years, and he inherited something from late Yaradua that he had held on to so effectively. He has been a businessman with a business acumen and he has the exposure." • “But you see, that is not what qualifies you to win. A lot comes into play, so again, I can not say whether he will win or lose” • “I didn’t take any swipe at the administration of President Buhari. What I have always said is that despite the acclaimed progress in the country, Nigerians are not feeling the impact in their homes." • “That does not mean the government is not working. Look at the groanings of the people, the government still has to do a lot more before the 2019 elections. They have to work harder to assure Nigerians that they are really up to the task of listening to their yearnings and aspirations." • “The purpose of government is the welfare and security of people. Take that from the equation, then governance means nothing," he concluded.