By Inalegwu Shaibu
ABUJA— THE Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, weekend, affirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan will trash former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential primaries.

Dr. Ojouboh, who spoke to Vanguard, said his confidence stemmed from the enormous goodwill enjoyed by President Jonathan, stressing that though former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was a great politician, his credential posed no challenge to the president.

He said:  “I do not see Atiku as a threat, given the fact that Atiku is an experience politician but I do not see any serious challenges. I believe that the president has done enough to merit the votes of Nigerians.”

Dr. Ojougboh noted that the president will emerge the presidential flag bearer of PDP in 2011, adding that the 2011 general election was a test case, which will show that Nigeria had outgrown ethnic and regional politics.

He said: “Not just that, I also see the president could use the election as a form of referendum for Nigeria. I see it as election that will determine whether we are the North and the South that if actually we have become one country after 100 years.

”If Jonathan wins, it means that we have become one country, if he does not win, it means that we do not have a country and I want to believe that we have a country.

“Based on that, I know he will win, I have no doubt in my mind and I don’t see any serious challenges at all.
”If you look at it generally, the PDP primary is a one-and-all and I believe Mr. President has won that one.

When it comes to the general election, of course, you know that everybody wants a breath of fresh air and Mr. President is very likely to win and I do not see anything why he should not win.”