from Vincent Egunyanga in Port Harcourt
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the flag bearer
of the Peoples Democratic Part (PDP) in the 2019 Presidential election
coming up in February.
In the highly contested election in Port Harcourt on Saturday Atiku
polled 1,532 votes to beat his closest river Governor Aminu Tambuwal
who polled 693 votes, coming a distant third with 317 votes is the
President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki.
Other contestants were former governor of Sokoto state Attahiru
Bafarawa 48 votes, Gombe state governor Ibrahim Dankwabo with 111
votes, former governor of Kaduna state Ahmed Markarfi with 74 votes ,
former governor of Plateau state David Jonas Jang 19 votes, former
governor of Jigawa state Sule Lamido with 96 votes.
Atiku victory was made possible by the intervention of some powerful
Northern generals who quickly dispatched one of their own General
Aliyu Gusau to lobby delegates in Atiku’s favour.
The Generals who plotted Atiku’s victory included Former Head of
State Gen Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General
Theophilus Danjuma who were said to have also prevailed on Gen
Olusegun Obasanjo to forgive Atiku for whatever offence committed
against him.
It is believed that if their target is to remove Muhammadu Buhari
from office all of them must come together to achieve the aim
irrespective of personal feelings.
The Generals were also said to have persuaded Rivers state governor
to drop his support for Sokoto state governor Ibrahim Tambuwal to
go and seek reelection in his state.
However there is sadness in the South South as Rivers state camp and
the of Edo state sponsored by Gov Wike are still finding it difficult
to believe what has happened to them