Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has formally declared, in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, his intention to run for presidency in the 2019 general elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), acknowledging that he chose to make the declaration in Rivers State because Governor Nyesom Wike is the live wire of the party.
A report monitored on Channels Television said that Atiku Abubakar was in Rivers State with some of his supporters, including a former National Chairman of the PDP, Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, and a former senator, Abdul Ningi.
Atiku was quoted as saying that since the All Progressives Congress (APC) came to power about three years ago, it had destroyed all the major sectors, especially education, health and infrastructural sectors through inadequate budgetary allocations and releases.
“Since 2015, we have not seen a 100 kilometres road constructed by the APC federal government anywhere in the country. I have never seen Nigeria so divided along religious, ethnic and regional lines, as a result of the mismanagement of the APC.”
Governor Wike was said to have denied that he is the live wire of the PDP, saying that all genuine members of the PDP were its live wire even as he said that Atiku Abubakar has remained one aspirant that is being feared by the APC.
The governor said the PDP is prepared to oust the APC from power in order to rescue Nigeria from the maladministration foisted on it by the Buhari administration, adding that the chances of the PDP in the 2019 elections are bright.
He called on the PDP members not to jeopardize those chances, saying: “every presidential aspirant must see himself as a member of the larger PDP family,” he said.
“We must do everything to ensure that PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in 2019.
“Only one aspirant will become a candidate. We will do everything to ensure that the party comes out with a candidate that has a track record to upstage the APC.” [myad]
