A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, has advised erstwhile Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to jettison his presidential ambition.

In a statement yesterday, Eradiri told Atiku that his serial failed bids to occupy the Aso Rock Villa had done untold damage to the development of the Niger Delta and destroyed the reputation of some of the respected leaders from the region.

Eradiri, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), argued that Atiku’s insensitive and desperate ambition to become President was threatening the peace of the country.

Eradiri, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa State, also noted that a former Delta State Governor James Onanefe Ibori’s political alliance with Atiku was part of the reason he was thrown into jail.

The former Bayelsa State commissioner said Atiku demonstrated the highest level of desperation, unreasonableness and lack of patriotism in 2023 when he cornered the presidential ticket of the PDP to retain power in the North, even though former President Muhammadu Buhari had just ended eight years in office.

Eradiri said: “I want to call on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to demonstrate statesmanship by jettisoning his ambition to be President of Nigeria. This call is not political. It is borne out of unbiased assessment of the damage his ambition has caused the people of the Niger Delta.

“The late Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, suffered and died because of his association with Atiku. Former Delta State governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, went to jail because of his association with Atiku.

“Delta State is indebted financially because of Okowa’s association with Atiku’s ambition. Sim Fubara of Rivers State was deceived by assurances from Atiku and his men. The Nigerian political space in recent times has suffered untold damage because of Atiku.

“A period that should be the turn of the South after the North had done two terms, but you can see that Atiku is still insisting on becoming the President, and today, the opposition has been alienated because of Atiku.

“The PDP is in tatters today because of Atiku. Therefore, it is clear that Atiku’s ambition is bringing untold hardship, especially to us in the Niger Delta. It is creating the problem that is destabilising the Nigerian polity.”

“Every society needs a virile opposition for the ruling party to sit up. But Atiku’s ambition has dealt a deadly blow to the PDP, which many people relied upon to provide this opposition.”

Eradiri told Atiku that the country would be more peaceful and the rising tension would go down if he supported the South to complete its tenure.