Chairman of the Board, Senator Walid JibrinChairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Walid Jibrin has said that he has been receiving death threats for not endorsing Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
Jibrin, who recently announced that the PDP would soon reveal plans for choosing its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, which he said could emerge from any zone in the country, told journalists yesterday, January 2, in Kaduna that some persons offended by his announcement are describing him a traitor for failing to declare Atiku as the party’s preferred candidate.
“I have received calls from some people threatening my life over my coming out not to mention that the presidency of this country be zoned to the north-east
“They were saying that I am a traitor that I should have come out to say that it is only Atiku Abubakar because I said that Atiku was already overthrown by the Supreme Court.
“They said, for that, I should say Atiku is the man that I want.”
Jibrin said that it is the duty PDP stakeholders to select a presidential candidate for the party and not an individual.
“I am a leader, I have to make a lot of consultations with National Working Committee, our governors, then the NEC had to make a decision and they should not forget the party has a constitution and a guideline which says there must be primary for whoever wants to contest.”
The PDP leader also narrated how some persons recently warned him that they would arrange bandits to deal with him if he does not recant his announcement. “About three people went to Wadata Plaza (the party’s national secretariat in Abuja) and demanded to see Munir Yerima.
“When they were there, Yerima rang me saying where I am and I said I am in Kaduna, then he said some people want to talk to me and I said let me talk to them on phone. He said they are intermediary between me and some party people.
“They said I have gone astray and if I don’t recant they would arrange bandits to deal with me wherever I go.”
The party leader noted that the threat by the men may be a plot to assassinate him, saying that he had informed the security agencies and demanded protection from them.
“I have received calls from some people threatening my life over my coming out not to mention that the presidency of this country be zoned to the north-east
“They were saying that I am a traitor that I should have come out to say that it is only Atiku Abubakar because I said that Atiku was already overthrown by the Supreme Court.
“They said, for that, I should say Atiku is the man that I want.”
Jibrin said that it is the duty PDP stakeholders to select a presidential candidate for the party and not an individual.
“I am a leader, I have to make a lot of consultations with National Working Committee, our governors, then the NEC had to make a decision and they should not forget the party has a constitution and a guideline which says there must be primary for whoever wants to contest.”
The PDP leader also narrated how some persons recently warned him that they would arrange bandits to deal with him if he does not recant his announcement. “About three people went to Wadata Plaza (the party’s national secretariat in Abuja) and demanded to see Munir Yerima.
“When they were there, Yerima rang me saying where I am and I said I am in Kaduna, then he said some people want to talk to me and I said let me talk to them on phone. He said they are intermediary between me and some party people.
“They said I have gone astray and if I don’t recant they would arrange bandits to deal with me wherever I go.”
The party leader noted that the threat by the men may be a plot to assassinate him, saying that he had informed the security agencies and demanded protection from them.
