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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Former Vice President and the presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has urged members of the party to ensure that they were more united than before, even if the outcome of the forthcoming presidential primary does not favour some persons.
Atiku said the only way PDP can clinch the power from the All Progressives Congress-led federal government is by not allowing the outcome of the presidential convention, which may not favour some aspirants to affect their spirit.
The former vice president, who was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday to meet with the delegates, said PDP has been in opposition for seven years, stressing that it cannot afford to remain in opposition after 2023.
Atiku said, while he holds so much respect for other presidential aspirants, who have also shown enormous interest to contest for the sole ticket of the party, he has more capacity, experience and enough connections to win the election so that PDP can return to power after the eight years of APC in power.
The 2019 PDP presidential candidate accused the ruling APC of “taking Nigeria from top to bottom” in everything it does, describing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government as a one-sided administration which has given vent to insecurity in the country.
Atiku promised the Rivers State delegates that he would run an all-inclusive government that will eventually create a sense of belonging for all Nigerians.
He said: “Whether in public or private, I will always protect the interest of Rivers people. If I am elected, I will bring all parts of this country together so that everybody can have that sense of belonging”, he said.
“PDP must unite to win this time. It does not matter the outcome of the convention, let us unite and win. We have been in the opposition for the past seven years. We cannot afford to be in opposition again for another four years.”
Speaking earlier, the spokesman of the Atiku team to the state, Senator Dino Melaye, called on the delegates not to waste their votes during the primary, but ensure that they voted for Atiku who has the needed experience and capacity to wrestle Nigeria from the bad government of the APC.
Melaye extolled the quality of infrastructural development by Governor Nyesom Wike’s government, revealing that Atiku has “11 million votes in his pocket already and will be unwise for any delegate to give his vote to somebody that is struggling to have some votes.”
In his remarks, the chairman of the PDP, Rivers State chapter, Desmond Akawor, congratulated the former Vice President for his past contributions to the development of the country, particularly the Onne Port.
Akawor assured the presidential aspirant that the leadership of the PDP would decide on what is best for the party because Nigerians were eagerly yearning to be free from the strangulation of the APC government.
He added that the principle of zoning as agreed by the leadership of the PDP must be upheld for the sake of fairness and equity.
