The chairman the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Walid Jibrin, has revealed what former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, must do to become the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election.
Atiku had on Friday announced that he has parted ways with the country’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamenting that the party has failed Nigerians, most especially the youths.
“Be that as it may be, after due consultation with my God, my family, my supporters and the Nigerian people whom I meet in all walks of life, I, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, hereby tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress while I take time to ponder my future,” the former VP said, in a statement he personally signed on Friday.
However, the PDP BOT Chair has urged Atiku to be ready to play by the rules once he rejoins the party in the coming days – as there are strong indications of his imminent arrival at the major opposition party.
While speaking with Premium Times on Sunday night, Mr. Jibrin, a former senator from Nasarawa State, informed Atiku of the rigorous competition that awaits him for the party’s ticket, adding that the PDP field of presidential contenders has expanded in recent weeks.
He said the PDP is expecting him, but first, the former vice-president “must subject himself to all the constitutional instruments of the party” if he “really wants to be president” by 2019.
The PDP BOT Chair also said most of the presidential hopefuls that have expressed their intention since the party ‘zoned’ its presidential ticket to the north are political heavyweights.
All our candidates are very strong and the former vice-president is going to meet some interesting challengers, Mr. Jibrin added.
A former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is amongst those who have commenced 2019 consultations in recent weeks on the platform of the PDP.
Also, a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, had sent a letter of notification to PDP leaders and members on his readiness to run for presidency in 2019.
This is even as the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, had publicly declared his ambition to seek the ticket, knowing well that the PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the Northern region of Nigeria.
source: http://exactlywww.360nobs.com/2017/11/2019-pdp-reveals-atiku-must-become-partys-presidential-candidate/