Atiku Abubakar, a Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, barred journalists from a meeting he held with Plateau PDP delegates.
Sources in the party who criticised Atiku, interpreted the former vice president’s action as desperation to clinch the party’s presidential ticket in the forthcoming primary election.
The former Vice President who arrived at the Plateau State PDP Secretariat at about 2pm, was visibly angered by the crowd of journalists.
Shouting fiercely, the presidential aspirant ordered all the journalists out saying he had no business with them.
“I have nothing to do with journalists. I’m here to see delegates”.
Propelled by the anger and frustration of their boss, his aides and security details unleashed an attack on reporters, causing a stampede and damaging the tripod and camera of the Channels Television crew.
Not even the host PDP officials and delegates could calm the visibly fuming aspirant and his entourage and make a case for the journalists who had covered visits to the delegates in the same secretariat by other presidential hopefuls in the past three weeks.
Disappointed party faithful, however, wondered why the former Vice President put up such disappointing conduct during such a critical visit.
According to sources, there are unconfirmed leads that the presidential hopeful is so desperate that he may announce monetary gratification to the delegates before the convention date to swing them to his side, having learnt that the Plateau bloc vote is not meant for him during the primary.
The sources claimed he probably didn’t want the media to get a hint of his plans.
Daily Post gathered that Plateau has a total of 85 national delegates, with this number, the former Vice President is said to be gnashing his teeth as his popularity has dropped significantly following national discourse on zoning, South East or Igbo presidency in 2023.
Also, there is the not so bright national mood against another Fulani succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku’s perceived burden of trust, depleted public perception, and the unfavourable national mood was worsened recently after Muslim students of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, murdered Deborah Samuel in an extrajudicial context after charging her with blasphemy.
Recall that a post from the aspirant’s social media handle was quickly deleted after the former Vice President condemned the murder of Deborah, he had, however, claimed that the post was made without his authorisation.
