SUN, OCT 07 2018-theG&BJournal-President Muhamadu Buhari’s main challenger in the 2019 general elections will be Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku Abubakar swept the vote in the PDP elective national convention which began yesterday with 12 aspirants fisting for the nation’s top public office. He polled an overwhelming 1,532 votes to beat the other ‘’strongmen’’ of the party which includes Senator Bukola Saraki, (317 Votes) Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Alhaji Waziri Tambuwal (693 votes).
President Buhari had earlier emerged, unopposed, as the flag bearer for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after a seamless convention in Abuja.
Buhari had twitted shortly after his victory ‘’It is with deep sense of humility that I accept the nomination of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, to be its candidate and flagbearer in the 2019 Presidential election. I thank you all for your support and guidance, and for staying committed to the change Agenda.”
The PDP convention venue erupted in huge cheers this morning after Atiku numbers exceeded 1000 and in the end the famous song by British rock group SAID FRED from the album Stand Up in 2002, blared from loudspeakers mounted strategically around the venue.
Party faithful and opponents quickly trooped to congratulate the man who was once the Vice President of the country under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration before he was ignominiously dismissed.
Political watchers said after that the emergence of Atiku from the PDP will make the electioneering to the 2019 election quite interesting and intriguing.
‘’Is he coming to avenge some wrong when he was dismissed and accused of several misdemeanour or to really deliver on some unrealised promises or is he running to bolster his political ego. We will find answers to all these sooner,’’ says Ngozi Onwuka a Nigerian at the venue of the convention who spoke to theG&BJournal shortly after the votes were counted.
At the conclusion of the electoral process, Delta State governor and chairman of the party’s national convention, Ifeanyi Okowa formally declared the total number of votes. 68 votes was voided and total votes counted was 3,221. He officially announced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flag bearer for the 2019 election.
Earlier, governor Okowa stated, “we are happy with the large turnout of delegates for the convention, you can see that almost all the delegates are on their designated areas and I can assure you that in few minutes time, voting will commence.”
“I commend the aspirants for the show of love for our party and our country, the voting pattern will be credible, transparent; there will be no room for anyone to know who voted for him or not, we are one family and the overall vote will determine who will be our Presidential candidate in 2019,” he said.
The process went peacefully without and without dissent in the end. Most party faithful praised Okowa’s conduct of the primary as one of the best seen in recent ttimes.
