Atiku

Diversity Bridge Builders Collective (DBBC), a coalition of advocates for true inclusion, zero prejudice and peaceful coexistence, has attributed former Vice President Atiku Abubarka’s inexplicable deletion of a tweet condemning the gruesome murder of a female student in Sokoto, over alleged threat by trolls as cowardly and deceitful.

A young lady, Deborah Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was horrendously stoned to death and burnt by some irate Muslim students, over what they claimed as blasphemy against their faith. And Atiku had tweeted and quickly deleted: “There can not be a justification for such a gruesome murder. Deborah Yakubu was murdered , and all those behind the death must be brought to justice. My condolences to her family and friends.”

In place of the deleted tweet, Atiku had gone on a voyage of self-adulation by tweeting: “The crowd that welcomed me into the hall of the PDP secretariat in Minna earlier today was impressive, and the energy they exuded was enormous. I thank you all for the rousing reception. Delegates from Niger State showed much enthusiasm in my message of #OnePeople, #OneFuture and #OneCountry.”

The action was said to be as a result of Social media trolls who had threatened not to support his political ambition for condemning the heinous murder.

DBBC in a statement queried:”How can Atiku unite the nation, if he is afraid to say the truth? How can he stand up to local terrorism tendencies and external security or political adversaries, when he can’t even face the antics of ordinary social media trolls? Can a weakling lead from the front in the face of Nigeria’s myriad chàllenges?

By succumbing to the alleged demands of those social media extremists, Atiku, according to DBBC, lacks the balls to lead as a president of a complex nation like Nigeria, bedeviled with intractable security challenges that are apparently intertwine in religious and ethnic differences.

DBBC, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, by its national coordinator, Dr. Feng Mancha, insisted that Atiku, one of the prominent presidential aspirants in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), dropped the ball by playing into the hands of the miscreant enablers of violent crimes and religious intolerance in such a reprehensible manner.

According to Dr. Mancha, “If Atiku could be frightened to the extent of recanting his opinion on the need for justice for the murdered citizen Deborah, just because some faceless trolls threatened to withdraw their political support, he doesn’t have the moral standing to demand for the mandate of the people to lead as president.

” The job of a president is not for a lilly liver, self-centered, closet supporter of evil in the guise of religion, ethnicity or politics. A leader must always be firm, and also have the courage to stand for noble ideals, without sentiments or fear.

“DBBC, as a visionary group has said in an earlier statement that, Nigeria at this moment of grave insecurity, needs a decisive leader, with an uncompromising willpower, as a Commander in Chief, to unleash the wrath and fury of the federal might, without sentiments, on terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality that are ravaging the nation.

“And it is very clear by this singular act of lack of good judgement by Atiku, that he lacks the courage, willpower and statesmanship to be at the drivers seat of the nation come 2023.”