Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, will have a meeting with leaders of the party from the South-West to seek their support ahead of the February 14, 2019 presidential election in the country, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

The development is coming barely a week after the PDP standard bearer picked his running mate from the South-East.

Atiku and the PDP last Friday settled for a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, after reports of an initial plan to zone the Vice Presidential slot to the South-West.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that Atiku, who left for Dubai shortly after the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and returned to meet with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who endorsed his candidature, was already discussing with the leadership of the party in the South-West.


Before naming Obi as his running mate, some party leaders in the South-West had called on the ex-VP to consider the zone for the VP slot.

Specifically, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, had said it would be better for Atiku to nominate someone from the South-West as his running mate.

George, who is a former military governor of Ondo State, argued that the party must consider the importance of the South-West to its desire to win the presidential election next year.

However, a top member of the National Working Committee of the PDP told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the VP slot was given to the South-East zone in order to placate the people of the region over their cry of alleged marginalisation.

The source, who was privy to the picking of Obi told Saturday PUNCH on Thursday that the former governor of Anambra State was considered the best among those seeking


He said, “We actually thought about the need to pick from the South-West, but we also considered the cry of marginalisation from the South-East.

“If you look at it, you will know that from the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo up till now, except when former President Goodluck Jonathan was there, the South-West had been producing either the President or the Vice President.

“This was the reason we felt Atiku’s running mate should come from another geopolitical zone.”

Confirming the planned meeting between Atiku and the PDP South-West leaders, a former Minister of Transportation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, told Saturday PUNCH in an interview that the former VP had scheduled the meeting.

Babatope, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the party, believed that the zone had nothing to fear, pointing out that the former VP was voted by majority of the delegates from the South-West zone during the party’s national convention which was held in Port Harcourt between October 6 and 7.

Apart from this, he said Atiku, whose first wife hails from Osun State, would never neglect the zone if he won the election.

Babatope said, “I’m aware that the leadership of our party in the South-West will meet with Atiku very soon. At the meeting, which is already being planned, our presidential candidate will tell us what he has for us.


“We are not angry because we lost the VP slot to the South-East. Majority of us voted for him at the national convention in Port Harcourt.”

He added, “It may also interest you to know that Atiku, being part of the Obasanjo presidency, is aware of the sharing of political offices in the PDP. It was a government that respected the principle of federal character.


“You may also need to know that Atiku has agreed to give the nation true federalism. That, to me, is the ultimate. I’m sure that with true federalism, Nigeria will be better.”

We will take care of all zones –Secondus

Speaking on the plan the PDP has for the South-West zone, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said all the six geopolitical zones would be accommodated by the party “when we win the presidential election.”


Secondus told Saturday PUNCH that “the PDP is sensitive to our members in particular and the nation in general. We are going to have elaborate meetings on the zoning of offices and I can tell you all the zones will be accommodated.”

It was gathered that the South-West might get the position of either the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Atiku cabinet.


South-West critical to our struggle –Atiku

Meanwhile, Atiku has also said that the South-West is critical to his team’s struggle to liberate the country from the grip of the All Progressives Congress.

He said it would be wrong to assume he had decided to neglect the zone because he didn’t pick his running mate from there, insisting that every part of the country would benefit from the available political offices and positions.


Atiku, who spoke through the Head of his Media Campaign Organisation, Mr Segun Sowumi, said there were no plans by his team to forget any zone.

He said, “Every part of Nigeria is important to us. The South-West is very critical to our struggle to liberate the entire country from the grip of the All Progressives Congress.


“Our candidate has bought into the clamour by the zone for a restructured country. Apart from this, we have only given the slot of the VP out.

“There are other positions like that of the President of the Senate, SGF, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Head of Service and ministerial positions.

“I can assure you that all Nigerians, in every zone, will be carried along.”



https://punchng.com/2019-atiku-to-meet-south-west-leaders-over-political-offices/

But we are one in Nigeria. Let's support the cause of competence

This is what Atiku can you use to have votes from the south west.

Let the best man get the job

Tinubu is weighing his options.
He's aware APC and the North are picking Rotimi Ameachi after Buhari and not him or his crony Osibanjo..
The best choice is to get Atikulated now and remain relevant or support APC and be sent to Oblivion after 2019.
This is despite whoever wins.
Buhari and El Rufia hate Tinubu to the core.

nurex01:
This is what Atiku can you use to have votes from the south west.

If you believe SW will go for q hypothetical position when they can see the VP slot in APC... then you are foolish.

Atiku made a huge mistake here.

All that fundamentalist Buhari will need to do is promise he zones 2023 Presidency to SW and he will sweep that area like he will NW.

You can't prioritize the lowest voting demographic which have sections clamoring for succession and whom have demanded their people not participate in voting.

It was especially foolish by Atiku because SE would vote for him anyways. He needed to attack Buhari's other stronghold demographic.

Nigeria wonders why it suffers, well look at how poor Nigerians are with decision making! Look at how Nigerians reason!

They voted a poorly educated tyrant who everyone outside Nigeria knew would destory the coubtry and its economy.

They then bring in an oppositon candidate and he goes to pick from the exact address he shouldn't have basically condemning Nigerians to fourt mor years of military dictatorship.

I just smh.

Olabode george and Agbaje wey no get money for election will be Salivating now....as Dollarman wan come visit them..

fallout87:


If you believe SW will go for q hypothetical position when they can see the VP slot in APC... then you are foolish.

Atiku made a huge mistake here.

All that fundamentalist Buhari will need to do is promise he zones 2023 Presidency to SW and he will sweep that area like he will NW.

You can't prioritize the lowest voting demographic which have sections clamoring for succession and whom have demanded their people not participate in voting.

It was especially foolish by Atiku because SE would vote for him anyways. He needed to attack Buhari's other stronghold demographic.

Nigeria wonders why it suffers, well look at how poor Nigerians are with decision making! Look at how Nigerians reason!

They voted a poorly educated tyrant who everyone outside Nigeria knew would destory the coubtry and its economy.

They then bring in an oppositon candidate and he goes to pick from the exact address he shouldn't have basically condemning Nigerians to fourt mor years of military dictatorship.

I just smh.

Must you curse? Imperatively, everyone has his/her opinion. At least, you must have courtesy.

What I'm trying to say is that He can get votes from South West. Did I say he will all the votes from SW? Please, always read between the lines.

COURT OF HIS MAJESTY YOUTH'S PROGRAM

Theme: LET'S PLAY...
Date: 27th October, 2018
Venue: RCCG Court of his majesty auditorium, Abesan Estate gate, Ipaja, Lagos.



....THIS IS A PROGRAM YOU DONT WANT TO MISS

REDshouse:
Olabode george and Agbaje wey no get money for election will be Salivating now....as Dollarman wan come visit them..

.

Good, Atikuloot and Obituary are coming to tell us in South West that they will give us the position of Messenger in the Presidency and Chief Fool of the National Assembly. So we should vote them and abandon our children at the seat of power. We should abandon Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fashola with his 60% work done on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abike Dabiri, Funmilayo Orelope, Prof Daramola, and several other Yorubas holding key positions in this current government. We should abandon the Lagos-Ibadan railway, the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, the Ikorodu-Sagamu expressway, the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, the Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway. These are few of the road construction that Buhari is currently doing in the South-West which the PDP abandoned for 16 years.

But that we should follow Atikuloot a wanted US fugitive who sleeps around with anything in skirt including underage boys and Nollywood prostitutes. Atikuloot who combined with Obasanjo to abandon and ignore the South-West infrastructure to deteriorate for the 8 miserable years that the two thieves were looting. I think madness is madning him and his generations.

He would beg and beg without any headway.

He should have picked a SouthWest VP, he badly miscalculated.

emmie14:
But we are one in Nigeria. Let's support the cause of competence

So Nigeria is no longer a zoo and yoruba are no longer amala and ewedu guzzling slaves to fulani?

You think we have forgotten? Yorubas are waiting for you at the polls? Una never see anything!

#istandwithbuharitill2023

fallout87:


If you believe SW will go for q hypothetical position when they can see the VP slot in APC... then you are foolish.

Atiku made a huge mistake here.

All that fundamentalist Buhari will need to do is promise he zones 2023 Presidency to SW and he will sweep that area like he will NW.

You can't prioritize the lowest voting demographic which have sections clamoring for succession and whom have demanded their people not participate in voting.

It was especially foolish by Atiku because SE would vote for him anyways. He needed to attack Buhari's other stronghold demographic.

Nigeria wonders why it suffers, well look at how poor Nigerians are with decision making! Look at how Nigerians reason!

They voted a poorly educated tyrant who everyone outside Nigeria knew would destory the coubtry and its economy.

They then bring in an oppositon candidate and he goes to pick from the exact address he shouldn't have basically condemning Nigerians to fourt mor years of military dictatorship.

I just smh.

God bless you. Atiku just wasted billions of naira on this campaign and destroyed it himself by putting an igbo on the ticket. Who does that? I am disappointed in the man called Atiku because he dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerians to see Buhari ousted from power. What a collossal mistake to pick a VP from the IPOB section of the country.

#istandwithbuharitill2023

WhyMoD:
Tinubu is weighing his options.
He's aware APC and the North are picking Rotimi Ameachi after Buhari and not him or his crony Osibanjo..
The best choice is to get Atikulated now and remain relevant or support APC and be sent to Oblivion after 2019.
This is despite whoever wins.
Buhari and El Rufia hate Tinubu to the core.

.

.

Anytime is see media presenting people like Bode george, Agbaje, Baba tope and other light weight pdp politicians as yoruba leaders, i just smile and smh.
How can people who do not have interests of yoruba at hearts qualified as our leader? Who even made them leaders? I'm verry sure the Agenda of their meeting, if it eventually takes place would be about their personal wants and not the deals or plans Atiku/PDP has for SW region.
I can't just stop laughing right now because Atiku is about to be scamed like Jonathan.
He made a costly mistake by not picking a running mate from SW, many who are not even happy with Buhari would rather stick with APC and endure till 2023 when the presidency returns to SW.

resurgent4oodua:


So Nigeria is no longer a zoo and yoruba are no longer amala and ewedu guzzling slaves to fulani?

You think we have forgotten? Yorubas are waiting for you at the polls? Una never see anything!

#istandwithbuharitill2023

Whatever you call your dog.

Any SW leader who agrees to be a willing tool in the hands of this thief called athieflu, will surely get the Ekweremandu Treatment.

efighter:
Good, Atikuloot and Obituary are coming to tell us in South West that they will give us the position of Messenger in the Presidency and Chief Fool of the National Assembly. So we should vote them and abandon our children at the seat of power. We should abandon Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fashola with his 60% work done on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abike Dabiri, Funmilayo Orelope, Prof Daramola, and several other Yorubas holding key positions in this current government. We should abandon the Lagos-Ibadan railway, the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, the Ikorodu-Sagamu expressway, the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, the Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway. These are few of the road construction that Buhari is currently doing in the South-West which the PDP abandoned for 16 years.

But that we should follow Atikuloot a wanted US fugitive who sleeps around with anything in skirt including underage boys and Nollywood prostitutes. Atikuloot who combined with Obasanjo to abandon and ignore the South-West infrastructure to deteriorate for the 8 miserable years that the two thieves were looting. I think madness is madning him and his generations.

Good one there.


We are not going to abandon our own and support another thousands of miles away from our domain. Never Again.