2023: Why Atiku will not apologise for Arewa’s comment — Chidoka

The Director of Voter Intelligence, Strategy and Policy Analyst of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Osita Chidoka, says the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will not apologise for the comments made during a recent interactive session in Kaduna.

Mr Chidoka stated this on Tuesday during an interview on “Politics Today,” a programme on Channels Television.

Atiku, a former Nigeria’s vice president, recently came under criticism for saying that the North does not need a Yoruba or Igbo president.

He made the statement on Sunday during an interactive session with members of the Arewa Joint Committee.

“What the average northerner needs is somebody who’s from the North and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country,

“This is what the northerner needs. It doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate. I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern origin,” Mr Atiku said.

Reacting to the comment, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State demanded that the former vice president apologise for the comment

But Mr Chidoka, a former aviation minister, said Atiku does not need to apologise because the comment does not warrant an apology.

“I think we need to move beyond these political gimmicks and political gimmickry that goes on when people say one thing, we turn it the other way round and we use it for political ends.

“The point he is making is a very clear point – that we need a Nigerian president, somebody that would unify the country, will understand the issues, and be able to solve them.

“So, I don’t think that it is a statement that warrants any apologies or discussions. It is for Vice President Atiku to continue to explain himself to the public,” he said.

Mr Chidoka said the candidate must focus on explaining his policy to Nigerians.

“We still have four months in the campaign so he needs to go out and explain his agenda that he is a Nigerian president that is desirous of making sure that all parts of Nigeria feel wanted in Nigeria, and feel united.

“He needs to unify the country to be able to propose the difficult solutions that must be applied to make this economy and the country work again,” he said.