Atiku says: “This is a guy who already has 11 million votes in his space. And I think as a party, you should give me the right of first refusal to use the votes.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has boasted of having 11 million dedicated voters which makes him the strongest aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Atiku stated this when he visited the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday, in Abuja, to “solicit the party’s support on his presidential ambition.”
“Under normal circumstances,” he boasted, “this is a guy who already has 11 million votes in his space. And I think as a party, you should give me the right of first to use the votes.”
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Atiku arrived PDP secretariat with a crowd of supporters his every sentence.
Atiku’s boasting of 11 million votes is hinged on his performance in the 2019 presidential election. President Muhammadu Buhari in the election polled about 15 million votes while Atiku garnered a little above 11 million votes.
The former vice president admonished the PDP to “provide the right kind of leadership to present a good candidate.”
His call was swiftly followed by “…and I am the best candidate.”
He, however, noted that the PDP practises democracy and asked the NWC to be fair, transparent and credible in producing a flag bearer for the party.
The aspirant repeated his agenda for the country if elected president next year. These plans include uniting the country, tackling insecurity, reviving the economy and devolution of powers.
While he commended the NWC for hard work and excellent leadership, he urged the party to “come out in force and show Nigerians just how much the APC has and will continue to fail.”
In his remarks, the chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, asked to dismiss the notion that he will work for Mr Abubakar because they are friends.
“I will not work for you. I will work for all the 17 aspirants. It is left to you to convince thee delegates, market and sell yourself to the delegates,” he said.
He said the NWC will remain unbiased and will not take sides but that each aspirant will get the support of the party.
“I know each of you, if given the opportunity, will do better than what APC has been doing. At the primaries we will elect a candidate and we will all rally round that candidate,” Mr Ayu said.
He further assured that the PDP will work towards winning the election in 2023 and retaining power afterwards.