2023: Atiku makes case for diaspora voting

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

Ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general election in the country, former  Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has stressed the pertinent need for diaspora voting in Nigeria.

This is even as Atiku vowed to bring back most of the Nigeria’s best brains, who are scattered all over the world, to assist in the development of the country if he is elected the next President of the country in 2023.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  during the 2019 general election, spoke

Tuesday night

in Abuja when he played host to members of the Business Community of Nigerians in the diaspora, led by Professor Isa Odidi in his Asokoro residence in Abuja.

He narrated the various efforts he made while serving as the Vice President under the administration of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 to ensure that the issue of diaspora voting came on stream in the country without success.

His words, “ I tried to work with the National Assembly, when we were in office, to see how Nigerians outside can vote, unfortunately, i didn’t succeed. 

“But i believe that it is something that should happen” he said.

Describing PDP as the only democratic party in Nigeria, Atiku thanked the Nigerians in diaspora for their past  support for him.

“In 2019, when I came out, they supported me massively. I am grateful. I won’t take that for granted”, he said.

Earlier, the leader of the Business Community of Nigerians in the diaspora, Professor Isa Odidi had said that leadership is a serious task and therefore no country can afford to leave its fate in the hands of people who want power for its own sake, but lack the basic qualities or qualifications to cope with the challenges at hand.

In the words of Odidi, “as major stakeholders in the success and progress of Nigeria, we are concerned about the quality of political leadership in the country. 

“In fact, the success or failure of a country is directly proportional to the quality of its political leadership. “Leadership requires imagination, resourcefulness, vision, experience, competence and formidable track record. 

“Above all, a leader must possess the ability to assemble the best and brightest in the management of the country’s affairs.

“In a complex and diverse country like Nigeria, a leader must also be someone with a unifying vision, someone who understands and respects our ethnic and religious diversity. 

“Based on these criteria of leadership, and from our assessment of the political situation in Nigeria, we came to the conclusion that your Excellency (Atiku Abubakar) is the most adequately prepared for the task of rebuilding Nigeria and setting it on the path of economic growth and prosperity.

“Your record speaks for you. As a former Vice President of Nigeria, you played a significant role in the implementation of the policy objectives of the Obasanjo administration”, he said.