The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has said the South Westerners should support the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying it is his turn to be the president of Nigeria.

Adebutu said nobody from the North-East region of the country has been elected as president, noting that people from the South-West should support Atiku and not be selfish ahead of the 2023 general election.

He said this during a campaign in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Monday.

The PDP governorship candidate further stated that he had informed some people in the South-West to support Atiku for the peace of the country, adding that his advice was rejected.

Adebutu said: “What I want to talk about today is the coexistence of the Yoruba people with others in Nigeria.

“Before the primaries, I told some people to support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the next president for the peace of Nigeria but some people turned deaf ears. They insisted that it is the turn of the Yoruba people but I told them Yorubas have ruled previously.

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“Our father Olusegun Obasanjo was in power. Our father Ernest Shonekan was also there. Let’s not be selfish. Is it only Yoruba that exists? The truth must be said.

“Some people because of their selfish interest don’t want Atiku to emerge as our candidate. You cannot lose your integrity because of a pot of porridge.

“We cannot take Yorubaland out of the mainstream of Nigeria. Yorubaland must remain in the mainstream of Nigeria and PDP is the party that can take you to the mainstream of Nigeria.

“I believe in one Nigeria. All those calling for the break up of Nigeria cannot withstand the destruction of war. We don’t want war, we cannot afford to be refugees, what we want is peaceful resolutions of our problems.

“We have to move away from the concept of breaking Nigeria, we will not divorce, our children will not suffer.

“Even the countries that have stronger institutions than us cannot not afford to break up.

“From the recent developments, it has shown that Atiku is a true leader, he has put himself in the position of a true elder. We want an elder that can rebuild the party and the country,” he stated.

Atiku, who hails from Adamawa State in the North-East, deputised former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

He is however vying for the coveted seat in Aso Rock in 2023 alongside Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who hails from the South-West, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who hails from the South-East region of the country, amongst other contenders.

The Star