BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (middle), declared the duly elected PDP's flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election on Saturday.
The race for the next bigwig to populate the Aso Villa, Abuja by 2023 is seriously hitting up.
This has produced the likes of Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim and former Governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose.
Also, former Speaker of Abia, Hon Chikwendu Kalu; former Deputy Speaker of Abia, Hon. Cosmos Ndekwe; the only female aspirant, Mrs Oliva Tariela; Publisher of Ovulation Magazine, Dele Momodu; former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Samuel Ohuabunwa and financial Expert, Mohammed Hayatudeen-Hayatu-Deen, all in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
In addition, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi of the PDP now in Labour Party; former Governor Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State (APC), incumbent Vice President Yomi Osinbajo (APC), former President Goodluck Jonathan (APC) and among others.
However, the PDP tested their prowess on Friday during its National Convention held at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja,
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had extended the deadline for political parties to conduct primaries for the 2023 general elections to 9th June as against the June 3 timeline.
This move compelled the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to postpone its own primaries, earlier scheduled for Sunday, May 29 to June 6.
The PDP primary election attracted mammoth crowd ranging from praise singers, hawkers, traders, middlemen, goods and services providers, all jostling to catch a glimpse of the event and make brisk business.
About 774 delegates were accredited to vote.
The Race Begins
Governor Udom Emmanuel was the first to arrive at the Velodrome, followed by the other 13 aspirants.
Although the convention was scheduled to begin at 10am, it didn't commence until 6.02 pm.
After the National Anthem, each aspirant was given the opportunity to address the delegates for a maximum of five minutes.
The delegates were however optimistic that the party would unseat the ruling APC by 2023.
Step-down Syndrome
Few hours before the party’s primary election, a presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen withdrew from the race on Friday.
The withdrawal letter was addressed to the national chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu and titled, “Why I am stepping down as a presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party."
He said that his decision to pull out of the race was due to obscene monetisation of the contest.
“I wish to reiterate that I did not join party politics and to contest for the presidency because of personal gains and inordinate ambition, but in order to serve our country."
“It is therefore based on personal principles and with great humility that I have decided after wide consultations to withdraw from this contest which has been obscenely monetised”, Hayatu-Deen added.
Also, before voting commenced on Friday, Governor Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku.
He said, "I have come to the conclusion – to the glory of God Almighty, seeing millions of Nigerians suffering and the need for us to close ranks in the party and as one of the leaders in this party – I have come to a patriotic conclusion to step down my aspiration."
“And not only that, I have appealed to my supporters to take this in good strides and for national unity and patriotism – not only that, those who are delegates here – should vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”
These were clear indication that the tables were set for Atiku to emerge as the party’s flagbearer.
The Big Win
Despite allegations of Naira and dollar rain at the convention, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was declared the duly elected PDP's flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election on Saturday.
The contest was the 75-year-old’s sixth attempt to grab Nigeria's number one job.
He was the PDP’s candidate in the 2019 election, alongside his running mate, Peter Obi. He lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku scored 371 votes to beat his closet rival, Nyesom Wike, who polled 237 votes. It was followed by Bukola Saraki and Udom Emmanuel, who polled 70 and 38 votes respectively.
Below are the votes:
Atiku Abubakar- 371
Nyesom Wike - 237
Bukola Saraki -70
Udom Emmanuel - 38
Bala Mohammed -38
Anyim Pius Anyim -14
Mrs Tari Diana Oliver -1
Sam Ohuabunwa -1
Ayo Fayose -0
Dele Momodu -0
Promise Of Change
In his acceptance speech, Atiku commended the party for a hitch-free election.
He was hopeful that his victory would lead to a fundamental change in the country’s economic, social and political spheres.
“Today we are making another history. A history which we believe will bring about fundamental changes and also in our political processes.”
He stated that his campaign would be hinged on five fundamentals, with a promise to introduce lasting peace irrespective of the daunting security challenges.
“I pledge to unify this country. That’s why I refer to myself as a unifier."
“The reason I feel that unity is important is because APC has disunited Nigerians completely."
“I will work to restore unity and bring a sense of belonging to all Nigerians.”
“The PDP made Nigeria one of the most prosperous countries in Africa. We implemented economic reforms but the APC wiped out all those gains.”
While promising to tackle insecurity and socio-economic problems, he pleaded with his fellow contestants to work and cooperate with him.
Comments
Post a Comment