Politics

Atiku: I won’t allow any cabal in my government

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has vowed not to allow any form of cabal in his administration if elected as president in 2023.

Atiku said if elected as President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, he will not allow any individual to control the affairs of his government.

The two-term former Vice President said this in an interview with the Hause service of the VOA in Washington DC, United States on Tuesday.

Atiku arrived in the United States last Thursday.

There were several reports of some powerful individuals purportedly having a strong influence in President Buhari’s administration.

The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, had alleged that a cabal was controlling the country’s affairs in the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Buhari, however, debunked the allegation in an interview with VOA in 2019.

However, the PDP presidential candidate, on Tuesday, said: “You won’t find any cabal in my government. It is me, Waziri (Atiku) that will run the administration.”

Atiku further reiterated his commitment to tackling the security challenges bewildering the country, saying: “We would confront this issue by convoking a constitutional review so that states and local governments, to whom we intend to give the imprimatur to run their security affairs, would be able to do so. But this requires a rejig of constitution.

“Before we embark on this, we intend to employ more boots on ground, especially in the area of policing and civil defence, all of which we want to equip properly.”

The former vice President added that his administration would work closely with the judiciary to ensure speedy trial of offenders, saying he would support the imposition of death penalty for terrorism-related offences.

While speaking on the Nigerian oil refineries, Atiku, again, reiterated his position to privatise the refineries, noting that private investors have the capacity to overhaul the refineries and make them functional.

“My position on this is not new. I have told you some years ago that I will privatise them. The reason is simple. If you allow investors to own them, they will be better managed,” he stated.

When asked about the proposed plan by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign naira notes, the PDP presidential candidate said he knows nothing about it.

On the internal crisis rocking the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election, Atiku, who said there was no reconciliation in sight yet, stated that he does not support the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu.

“It is not proper, at this time, to contemplate a change of leadership of our party, whereas we are approaching the elections season,” the former Vice President said.

The Star