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That former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 presidential election is no longer news. What is news, however, is the way political pundits have viewed his emergence.
A great number of them who aired their views online, especially via social media platforms, see Atiku merely as a traditional presidential aspirant, whose candidature comes with likelihood of signaling the party’s failure in the 2023 general election.
Sam Egem began: “This is the beginning of PDP’s failure, let’s wait for APC as well. But it’s quite unfortunate that the North is very serious to retain power after 8 years of Buhari. Very unfair! This is the right time to be fair and just to the south, especially the Southeast, for the presidential slot, yet nothing seems to be going that direction. We’re watching.”
Arc. Dan Iwuala: “Why would a right thinking Nigerian support Atiku? Remember the drama between him and Obasanjo – these cankerworms ; remember what happened during the privatization in Nigeria when he indirectly bought all Nigerian assets and converted them to his personal property. He betrayed former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and following this, Nigerians cannot trust him.”
Gbenga Osowe Akinboye: “Any candidate from the North will fail woefully. That’s the truth.”
Efefiong Nya: “This is the end of PDP. We are waiting to bury it in next year’s presidential election. They cannot foist another Northerner and Fulani on us. Let sense come to Southerners for once. The politicians in the political parties can no longer take us for a ride. I will go with Peter Obi anywhere he goes.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had, on Saturday, in Abuja, emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for 2023 presidential election.
He scored 371 votes to emerge as the party’s flagbearer, defeating his closest rival, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, who polled 237 votes.
Sen. David Mark, the Chairman and Chief Returning Officer of the PDP Special Convention, announcing the results, said total number of accredited delegates was 767, the total number of votes cast – 763, while 13 were invalid votes.
Mark said: “Abubakar, having scored the highest number of votes in the election, is hereby declared the winner”.
He also announced the votes scored by other aspirants as Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom – 38 votes, and Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State – 20 votes.
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki – 70 votes; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim – 14 votes.
The only female Aspirant, Mrs Tari Oliver, and the former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Samuel Ohuabunwa, scored one vote each.
Other aspirants without a single vote included: former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu; former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Chikwendu Kalu; and former Deputy Speaker of Abia State, Cosmos Ndekwe.
Recall that former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra had earlier withdrawn from the race and resigned from the party.
Others that withdrew from the race were financial expert, Mohammed Hayatudeen, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze.
Abubakar, born on November 25, 1946, in Jada, Adamawa, ran for governor of the state three times in 1990, 1997 and 1998, when he was elected before becoming the running mate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, of which he remained the vice president till 2003.
Abubakar contested for the office of the president several times, including 2014, when he ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and lost at the primaries to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also ran as the PDP presidential candidate in 2019, but lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of APC./SHARE THIS