*Pledges to unite Nigeria if elected president in 2023

*As Tinubu congratulates, says he is a patriot and committed leader

By Euclid Myke and Eze Chukwu

Former Vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, has officially been declared as the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.

He secured a resounding victory on Saturday at the party’s Special National Convention and Presidential Primary election which held at the Velodrome section of the National Stadium in Abuja.

He was announced the winner about 11.48 pm having secured 371 votes. He was trailed in the second position by Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike who garnered 237 votes.

A former Senate President Bukola Saraki was third with 70 votes while the remaining aspirants trailed behind the three dominant aspirants that produced the winner, the first and second runners up.

While former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, had no votes recorded in their names, both Tari Oliver Diana and Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa scored one vote each, indicating that they voted for themselves.

Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, also a former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), polled 14 votes; Governor Udom Emmanuel Gabriel, governor of Akwa Ibom State, garnered 38 votes; Alhaji Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, polled 20 votes.

There were a total of 12 void votes.

Atiku’s victory was made much more possible with the withdrawal of Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who had called on his delegates to cast their votes for Atiku.

Recall that Tambuwal was first runner up to Atiku in 2019 at the party’s presidential primary election in Port Harcourt.

Atiku had won in spite of the fact that Wike threw his support behind Tambuwal.

This is about the fifth time that Atiku, who is in his late 1970s will be involved in a presidential contest.

This time round, in 2022, Tambuwal did not reciprocate Wike’s gesture by supporting him when it was thought he would do so, but as book makers predicted, Tambuwal decided to align with Atiku.

Accepting his nomination after the Convention Committee led by former Senate President, David Alechenu Mark, announced him as the party’s candidate, Atiku acknowledged that the country has never been so balanced through bad leadership, pledging that he would unify Nigeria.

Describing himself as a unifier, the Turakin Adamawa said he would work round the clock to repair the damage caused by the All Progressives Congress (APC), government of President Muhammadu Buhari which spared no moment sharply disuniting Nigeria, more deeply diving  it into North and south; Christian and Muslim.

He said he would tackle both the security and economic challenges that the APC administration had unleashed on Nigeria.

Atiku sought the cooperation of his co-contestants in the task ahead, assuring them that they should be part and parcel of the process and deeply committed to take over power from the APC in 2023.

He appealed to aggrieved party members to be rest assured that he would deploy the party’s internal conflict resolution mechanisms  in addressing their grievances.

He further appealed to them to discontinue their sundry court cases that had produced all manner of conflicting judgments, orders and injunctions against the party, promising to step in to sanitise all those.

He equally commended the the David Mark’s Committee and the PDP leadership for organising one of the freest and fairest elections in the history of the party.

Wike, who had pledged to fully support anyone who emerged as the candidate, didn’t come up to the podium when former aspirants were invited to join the winner make his acceptance speech.

Meanwhile, one of the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and a frontline presidential contender in the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has congratulated Atiku on his victory at the weekend PDP primary.

In a statement on Saturday night by the Director, Media and Communications of his Campaign Organization, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, a foremost Journalist and former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Tinubu described Atiku as a patriot noted for his commitment to Nigeria’s progress.

Tinubu also congratulated the other contestants for the orderly and peaceful way they conducted themselves and for pledging to rally round the winner, in the true spirit of democratic sportsmanship. He said he is strongly expecting that the former Vice-president would be his opponent, by the Grace of God and the support of APC delegates, in the coming 2023 presidential election.

The APC Chieftain however stated that Atiku’s victory at the primary was not surprising to Nigerians, as according to him, Atiku has a vast experience as a statesman and veteran of many presidential contests since 1993.

Tinubu said while he welcomed the PDP candidate to the 2023 presidential race, he said the election campaigns should be about issues that would improve the quality of life of Nigerians; bring peace, progress, political stability and solve myriad of socio-political challenges and insecurity besetting the country.