Atiku Formally Seeks PDP Presidential Ticket, Meets with Party Leadership

By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has officially flagged off the move to pick the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by meeting with the national leadership of the party in Abuja.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and members of National Working Committee, Atiku said with the level of improvement so far recorded in the rebranding of the party, reclaiming power in 2019 is a mission accomplished.

“I believe that if we sustain the feat recorded during the governorship primary in Ekiti State in other primaries that will come, this party is destined to reclaim its role and retrieve power generally through our electoral process. If there was anything that really affected the performance of this party, it was the way and manner primaries were conducted and how candidates were selected but with the precedent you have set, we are on our way to reclaiming power in 2019.

“This meeting is not intended for anything other than my desire to seek the presidential ticket of the party. I am here to put you on notice and I believe that I should do this before reaching out to other organs of the party. I want thank you and look forward to working with you,” he said.

Atiku also cleared the doubt about his loyalty, saying, “whether as presidential candidate or not, you can always expect me to fulfill my obligations as a loyal member”.

In his remark, Secondus said leadership of the PDP was determined to return the party to its original vision of the founding fathers. 

He said that it was for this reason that the leadership’s first agenda was to rebrand and reposition the party. “We have removed all those impediments of imposition, of impunity, from the dictionary of the National Headquarters of our party. 

“I promise you, that by the grace of God, that there will be free, fair, transparent primaries, and as you noted that we did well in Ekiti State, we will do more because we have no choice so as to restore the confidence of Nigerians because Nigerians are yearning for the return of PDP, and the best we can offer is to be free and fair to all aspirants.”