…As Saraki tells Buhari to quit “now”
By Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA- Presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has
promised to reward the 11 aspirants who
contested the sole ticket with him, if he is
elected President of Nigeria in the 2019 general
elections.
PDP Presidential candidates
Atiku who stated this in Abuja at a meeting with
members of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT,
charged them and other leaders of the party to
rally behind him in his quest to make life better
for Nigerians.
According to him, the sense of togetherness
amongst the 12 who contested the party’s
primaries in Port Harcourt recently, is an
indication that the party is well positioned to take
over power from the ruling All Progressives
Congress, APC, in 2019.
“I can assure you that I am prepared to work with
and reward all of you if we unite together to
achieve success. I must commend the sense of
patriotism displayed by my fellow contestants.
From the very day I delivered my acceptance
speech, we have been working together. I believe
it is our duty to provide that sense of unity and
leadership to the rest of party members,” Atiku
said even as he gave a brief account of what
transpired behind closed doors in his Thursday’s
meeting with former President, Olusegun
Obasanjo.
“I visited my former boss in Abeokuta where we
exchanged pleasantries. I may not say whether
he is a PDP member or not, but he is with us
body and spirit. Even before he delivered his
statement, we retired to his private room where
he gave me his statement to go through and
possibly edit. He said he will launch my
campaign to the presidency with the statement.
That is vintage Olusegun Obasanjo for you,” he
added.
Also speaking, Chairman of the BoT, Senator
Walid Jibrin, congratulated Atiku and urged him
to rally round other contestants in the
presidential primaries in order for them to work
together for victory in 2019.
He counseled him to engage youths, women and
BoT members in his campaign train, adding that
the board would not disappoint in any
responsibility assigned to it.
He said: “As our presidential candidate, you will
beat other presidential candidates, especially the
APC that is already going down the drain and I
wish you God’s guidance and protection
throughout the campaign and success as you
eventually enter the Villa in 2019.
He added that consultations were going on for
the Vice President to be selected from a zone
that will attract more votes for the party.
“Consultations are ongoing in order for the
Presidential candidate to select a formidable
Vice. With the Presidential candidate and the
campaign team putting their heads together,
soon, the VP will be announced.
“The strategy is that wherever the Vice President
will come from will translate to additional votes
for the party. It is not all about appointing a Vice
President that will not add value to the party and
that will guide those who will take decisions in
due course,” Jibrin said.
For Uche Secondus, national chairman of the
PDP, what would have amounted to a post-
convention crisis has been nipped in the bud.
In his words, Atiku met with the Rivers state
governor, Nyesom Wike shortly after the
convention; a development not unconnected with
the governor’s seeming unhappiness with the
outcome of the primary election.
He said: “Immediately after the convention, the
Presidential candidate and I visited the host
governor and a few issues were resolved almost
immediately because we had to carry the
momentum from the venue.
On Monday, I called a meeting of all the former
aspirants and they all came and we discussed
heartily. They have already started implementing
what we discussed by visiting critical
stakeholders, governors and dignitaries.”
Highlighting the reasons the PDP tasted defeat in
the last election, Secondus said the “party was
complacent in 2015, which led to our losing the
election,” even as he charged members of the
BoT to win their various polling units in order to
earn their rewards.
“Now, every BoT member must deliver his or her
unit, ward or constituency. This was lacking in
the last election. We must build a consensus and
arrangement that ensures you will be rewarded
and recognized when you deliver. We cannot
play the type of Abuja politics that made us lose
in 2015.”
INEC, he added, will neither rig when they see the
faces of the nationalists members at the polling
units, nor would security operatives intimidate
them.
“Our task now is to focus and remain focused.
Our target is to win all the polling units in the
country and we will be able to do that, with the
strategies in place. A popular candidate has
emerged. He is grounded in Nigeria. What is left
for us to do is to take the message home.
“The current government is vicious. They are
framing up and coming up with lies and
propaganda, but we are happy that we are in
complete control of the National Assembly.
“We must sustain that so that the international
community will be aware that the PDP is ready to
take over the government and do what we know
how to do best: which is to provide good
leadership for Nigerians. Of course, the APC
know how to be in opposition and they will go
back to their former position. However, we can’t
do it alone. We must have everyone on board.
We must move fast immediately when INEC
releases the timetable for campaigns.”
On his part, a visibly elated Senate President ,
Bukola Saraki called on President Buhari to quit
“now now,” to pave way for the assumption of
office by Atiku without further delay.
He said: “Buhari must go, now, now, now! His
Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, should come in now,
now, now!
“To hear the Presidential candidate spoke of
rewarding members shows we now have a
politician as an incoming president. It gives us
the tonic to go out to the field and perform. I can
assure you, on behalf of the BOT members that
we will give you our total support.
“The meeting with former contestants in the
convention, gubernatorial aspirants and
stakeholders is sending a strong message across
the country that we are united. Just one thing is
remaining which to remove the President.
Present at the well-attended meeting were
prominent BoT members including Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu, erstwhile Kaduna
state governor, Ahmed Makarfi, former Katsina
state governor, Ibrahim Shema, ex-Aviation
Minister, Kema Chikwe, and former Imo state
governor, Achike Udenwa.
Others were former Minister of Police Affairs,
Waziri Maina, ex-Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia
Zainab Maina and former Niger state governor,
Babangida Aliyu amongst others



https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/2019-ill-reward-you-all-atiku-assures-pdp-presidential-aspirants/

"What remains is remove the president ", I love this part

With pdp choosing a vp from the east, I'm very certain that tribalism will play a major role in 2019 elections between the usual suspects "yoruba vs igbo"