Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged being sidelined by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government which he said he helped into power in 2015.
In an interview on the Hausa Service of the Voice of America, (VOA), Atiku said such treatment was being meted out to him despite his efforts in making sure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was defeated in 2015.
The former vice president spoke from Yola in Adamawa State where he celebrated the Eid-el- Kabir: “Honestly speaking, I’m still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC); I was part of all the processes, including campaigns until success was achieved.
“But sadly, soon after the formation of government, I was sidelined, I have no relationship with the government. I have not been contacted even once to comment on anything and in turn, I maintained my distance. They used our money and influence to get to where they are but three years down the lane, this is where we are.”
Atiku, however, applauded the president on the successes recorded so far in the fight against Boko Haram, but said it was not yet time to celebrate because a lot was yet to be done.
“The ruling government has failed on many fronts. Yes, there were successes but not comprehensive success because the Boko Haram miscreants are still very active, killing our people, and many local government councils in Borno and Yobe states are under their firm grip. People cannot dare go back to their dwellings.
“This thing baffles me; I never imagined that Nigeria will fight a protracted battle with Boko Haram for five years. At a time, we fought the Biafra war, which was more complicated because of the terrain in the south but the Biafran soldiers were roundly subdued in 30 months. But here we are, fighting an endless battle with the Boko Haram and there’s no end in sight,” he said.
On anti-corruption crusade, Atiku said little was achieved, asking: “How many people were arrested, prosecuted and jailed? How much was recovered from the looters?”
The APC chieftain also made reference to the achievement of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, during which he was vice president, in recovering stolen funds.
“When we came on board in 1999, I remember we recovered between $4.5 and $4.7 billion from those that looted under (the late Gen. Sani) Abacha,” he said.