A year after defeat, Atiku’s campaign office still active

The headquarters of the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) of candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, is still alive, a year after he was defeated at the poll by President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Our reporter who visited the office located in Wuse 2 area of Abuja, yesterday, reports that it was still alive though the elections have come and gone.

Workers were seen carrying out their duties when our reporter gained entry into the office after a thorough security check and questioning at the gate.

A policeman who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity said, “As you can see, there is no problem here. Normal activities are going on. This is not the Media Office but the Presidential Campaign Office,” he said.

Similarly, a member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who spoke with our reporter said, “Well, this office is still very active even though the elections are over. We are always here and people still work here. The facility manager just stepped out.”

However, the Special Adviser on Media to the former vice president, Paul Ibe, in a WhatsApp message to Daily Trust said the management of the campaign organisation had been dissolved.

“The 2019 campaign is not only over, the management of that campaign has been terminated,” Paul Ibe said.

Meanwhile, 2023 posters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are trending on social media.

Atiku’s posters were sighted yesterday by our reporter on Facebook, but none of them indicated the political party upon which he would seek the ticket for the presidential contest.

The posters had inscriptions such as ‘Vote Atiku Abubakar for 2023 presidency’, ‘Atiku, my choice 2023’ among others.

But reacting, Ibe said, “the support groups are everyday Nigerians who believe in an idea and, most times, they express themselves without recourse to anyone.”