PDP Rallies Governors Behind Atiku, Unveils Policy Document Competition

PDP Rallies Governors Behind Atiku, Unveils Policy Document Competition

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified efforts to rally its governors behind its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, whose electioneering formally begins today in Sokoto with a rally the party said marks the start of its move to grab power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

There have  been media reports that Atiku’s bid to become Nigeria’s president might be much tougher than envisaged as some governors elected on the platform of the party have become hurdles standing imposingly between him and his aspiration.

Atiku is believed to have struck a deal with some prominent South-east politicians, amongst them, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, as likely running mate if they support him to emerge as the party’s candidate.

Atiku is, however, being accused of settling for Obi without consulting with South-east and South-south leaders of the party, thus fuelling intense mistrust amongst majority of them, who then chose to stay away from his presidential affair, because ‘he cannot be trusted.’

The governors are believed to be facing intense lobby from the president’s men and their colleagues in the APC, a development believed to have given rise to their recent meeting with Buhari at the Villa.

Ologbondiyan said that the party has been carrying along all its stakeholders and that the governors have been part of all the major decisions on the presidential campaign.

Admitting that there were initial misgivings in some quarters, he, however, told THISDAY that everyone had been brought up to speed and all misunderstandings straightened out.

According to the party’s spokesman, “They are all in the realm of speculations and I want to say that one governor or the other is not in the party’s presidential plan is not correct. The Governor of Ebonyi State attended National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. So, how do you say some governors in the East are not in the support of our candidate?

“Enugu State governor travelled officially and the party is aware that he travelled. The position of the PDP is that there is no in-house fighting and all our governors are supporting our presidential candidate.”

Meanwhile, the main opposition party said that its North-west Presidential Zonal Rally billed for Sokoto, Sokoto State, today would focus on issues as well as address the concerns, plights, fears and aspirations of Nigerians in the geo-political zone, in line with the policy document of its presidential candidate.

According to him, “The campaign has revealed that the zone is hugely disappointed in President Muhammadu Buhari, who has failed to fulfill any of his 2015 campaign promises, even as it is piqued by his 2019 next level campaign mantra, which shows Mr. President’s lack of remorse for his failures.”

He said that the North-west bears heavy imprints of neglect by the Buhari’s administration, adding that the president and the APC cannot point to any key development project articulated and completed by it in the last three and half years, despite the huge resources it claims to have channelled to the zone.