For the sixth time, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Wednesday, declared his intention to contest for the presidency of the country, hence emerging as the most serial presidential contestant in Nigeria’s history.
The former vice president who declared in Abuja beat the record of the President Muhammadu Buhari who started vying for the presidency from 2003 till he won in 2015 on his fourth attempt, securing a second term in 2019 on his fifth.
But Atiku, who has unsuccessfully contested five presidential elections in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, declared for the presidency by 2023, making it the sixth time.
Atiku’s quest for the presidency started in 1993 when he contested the presidential ticket on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which he lost to the late Moshood Abiola.
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In 2007, Atiku ran for president on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but lost to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and in 2011, he contested on the platform of the then ruling PDP but lost the presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In the build-up to the 2015 election, he contested on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost the ticket to President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2019, Atiku was the PDP presidential candidate but he lost, again, to Buhari who was the incumbent and APC candidate.
Nevertheless, barely a day after the PDP flagged off the sale of presidential forms on March 17, Atiku picked the party’s presidential nomination forms for the 2023 election. A group, the North East Business Community, purchased the forms worth N40 million and presented it to him in Abuja, urging him to run for the country’s top job again.
South-South, South-West Regions seek Zoning
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-south region have insisted that the next president of Nigeria should come from the southern part of the country.
The demand is contained in the communique issued at the end of the meeting of the PDP leaders from the zone on Monday, March 21 in Uyo.
The Chairman, South-South PDP Governors Forum, and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as well as Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, were at the meeting.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State also attended the meeting.
“The zone is fully in support of the provision of the Southern Governors Forum that the next President of Nigeria comes from the Southern part of Nigeria,” the party leaders said in the communique.
Governor Okowa said PDP has a “mission” to rescue Nigeria from the ruling All Progressives Congress, and appealed to the party to remain united in the zone, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We believe that by February 2023, we shall be victorious as a party and rescue our country, Nigeria,” he said at the meeting which had in attendance the National Assembly members and zonal officers of the PDP.
Governor Wike, in his contribution at the meeting, said PDP now has an opportunity that should not be taken for granted.
“Nigerians are waiting for the PDP to take over power in 2023, but we cannot take over if we are not united, we cannot take over if we don’t work together.
“It is important for us to know that unity is the strength of a people. And we can see that 2023 is almost here. It is time for us to put our house together and make Nigerians proud,” he said.
Also, South West PDP leaders and stakeholders have insisted that the next president of Nigeria must come from the South.
The leaders stated this yesterday after the closed-door meeting held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Reading the communique, the national vice chairman (West) of the party, Soji Adagunodo, said the region was throwing its weight behind the Southern governors.
Some of the leaders and stakeholders who attended the event were: Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, Chief Bode George, Ayodele Fayose, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, PDP zonal financial secretary Rahman Owokoniran, deputy national chairman, South, Taofeeq Arapaja, and Sen. Francis Fadahunsi amongst others.
Last year, Southern governors rose from meeting to say that the next president of the country must come from the zone.
As part of the seven-point communique, Adagunodo said South West zone would do everything in its power to deliver Osun and Ekiti states to the party in the forthcoming elections.
“The zone is desirous of fairness, justice and equity in the distribution of Federal positions and appointments and will support all efforts geared towards National cohesion through equitable distribution of federal positions and appointments amongst the geopolitical zones of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” it added.
The South West zone further reaffirmed its support for the restructuring of Nigeria.
