Win Niger State for Atiku first, Group mocks Babangida Aliyu

The Northern Youths Movement (NYM) has told the former Governor of
Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu, to concentrate on winning Niger State
for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential
election, rather than going about boasting that the PDP Presidential
candidate, Atiku Abubakar will win Rivers State in the election.

According to a release issued in Abuja on Wednesday, and signed by its
Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the  NYM said empty assurance by the
likes of Dr Babangida Aliyu was the reason Atiku is carrying on as if
he had already won the presidential election.

The group said rather than relying on votes from Rivers State and
other South South States, Babangida Aliyu should strive to deliver
Niger State to his party, PDP, for the first time since 2011.

The NYM, which described as a notorious fact the abysmal performance
of the PDP in Niger State since 2011, pointed out that even with Dr
Babangida Aliyu as sitting Governor, PDP lost woefully in the State in
2011 and 2015.

For record purpose, in the 2011 presidential election, PDP lost  Niger
State with over 300,000 votes while the party lost with over 500,000
votes in 2015.

In 2011 when Babangida Aliyu was Governor of Niger State, PDP had
321,429 votes as against Congress for Progressive Change’s 652,574.

Still with him as governor in 2015, PDP had 149,222 votes while APC had
657,678.

In 2019, with Atiku on the ballot as PDP candidate, APC won with
394,319 votes. PDP had 218,052 votes while APC had 612,371.

With results of the presidential elections in 2011, 2015 and 2019
highlighted above, where is the moral standing of the likes of
Babangida Aliyu that are giving Atiku false confidence rather than
telling him the truth so that he can buckle up and work hard to be
able to win?

It is therefore our plea that people like Babangida Aliyu should leave
Atiku alone and let him act in a manner that will show to Nigerians
that he is willing to win the election, not just to be on the ballot
and as usual, run to Dubai after the election.