BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has formally declared, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the 2019 presidential poll on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Describing Governor Nyesom Wike as the live wire of the PDP, he said his decision to declare in Port Harcourt was in recognition of the relevance of the governor to the party.
According to a news report carried the Channels Television, the former vice president 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, to formally declare for the 2019 presidential election.
Atiku was reported to have lampooned the All Progressives Congress (APC) which came to power about three years ago of having destroyed the country’s 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,” he said.
Responding to Atiku, the Rivers Governor said all genuine members of the PDP were its live wire, adding that the Wazirin Adamawa remains one aspirant 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.”
