Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Monday said he regretted not doing much to help the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) win in Lagos State when he had the opportunity in 2003.
Abubakar, a PDP presidential aspirant, spoke in Lagos while holding a meeting Lagos PDP Guber Candidate, Engr Deji Doherty and members of the party in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was part of his nationwide tour of state chapters, to seek support for his aspiration ahead of 2019 general elections.
He revealed how his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, before the 2003 elections, gave him the task to deliver the six South/West states then governed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the PDP.
Abubakar said that in carrying out the task, he delivered all the states to PDP, except Lagos.
The former Vice-President said that he deliberately did not do much to win Lagos because of his relationship with former governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He apologised to party members for what he called his mistake, saying that Lagos would have been better off, if he had delivered it to the PDP then.
“When we came to power in 1999, the entire South/Western states were controlled by the AD.
“And when we were approaching the 2003 elections, I told my boss, give me the chance to take over the South-West
“And he gave me that authority, and I took all the states with the exception of Lagos.
“Why? Because Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and I came a long way from the SDP, PDM and all of that, and I felt I should leave Lagos for him. In fact, I could easily have taken over Lagos, but I did not.
“I have since regretted my decision; please, my sisters and brothers in the party, I want you to forgive me for taking Lagos out of that arrangement.
“If I have another opportunity again, Lagos will be taken to where it belongs. So, I am appealing to you to give me that opportunity so that I can correct the mistakes that I made”, he said.
