Atiku Abubakar
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku
Abubakar, says some people think he is corrupt just because he is
successful.
Speaking in an interview with CNN Africa published on Friday, he
reiterated that if he was corrupt, he would have been charged to court
or indicted.
He said he had thrown an open challenge to members of the public
for anyone with any evidence of corruption against him to present it but
so far, nobody had come up with anything.
Asked by the interviewer, “Why do you think your name is linked
to corruption?” Atiku said, “I have been successful. Secondly, I have
never been charged; I have never been indicted. They are all
allegations. And I have asked anybody, I dared people publicly, that is,
if anybody has evidence of corruption against me, let him come out.”
“Are you corrupt?” the interviewer asked.
“Certainly not; because if I am corrupt, I would have been certainly charged or indicted,” the former Vice-President said.
When he was asked what his views on gender equality was, Atiku responded, “As
far as the party is concerned, since our inception, the PDP, we have
always given women a quarter in terms of either appointments or election
into party offices or in government.
“You know the PDP government, if you look at our record, we
have had more women in government than any other government. This is the
only government that is not PDP and it has less women in government. In
my micro finance bank, I said 80 per cent of the loans should go to
women. Why, because if you want to take people out of poverty, empower
women.”
Again he was asked, “Insecurity is a big issue in this
election. Boko Haram attacks on military bases. The UN says 30,000
Nigerians have fled their villages in the north east in just two days.
What are your plans if elected president, to tackle this issue?
Atiku said, “I blame the political leadership for not equipping
the military and for not giving them the necessary morale. We will make
sure that we have a military that is professionally competent and
professionally effective and also conditions of service that can take
care of themselves and also their families. Unfortunately, that is
developed. I think that has brought down the morale of the military.
“How will you be different? the interviewer asked.
Atiku said, “We have to make sure that the military is very
well equipped, very well trained and we also review the conditions of
service particularly of the lower cadre who sacrifice their lives for
all of us to live.”
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