The 2023 presidential candidate under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar had on February 26, 2021, claimed that he will always get the party’s ticket to run for the presidential election.
The former Vice President, who spoke during a chat with journalists shortly after meeting with the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, expressed confidence that he would clinch the ticket of the main opposition party.
“Have I ever failed to win the ticket? I’m confident,” Mr Atiku said when asked if he has confidence in winning the PDP ticket this time around.
Atiku’s statement generated reactions from concerned party members who alleged that the former VP was only expressing confidence on his dollars.
In a swift response, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike who was also a presidential aspirant under the same PDP platform, lambasted Atiku over his comment, describing it as an unguarded utterance.
The Governor accused Atiku of taking PDP delegates and other party members for granted, saying the former VP had gone too far.
Angered by the comment, Wike urged Nigerians to be on a watch out, stating that the PDP convention would shock everyone.
He said, “I didn’t expect him frankly speaking to say that he will always take the ticket of the party. That is going too far and taking the delegates for granted.
“People should watch. There will be shock as far as PDP convention is concerned. People should watch what is going to happen. People like to underrate so many persons and it is not good in politics.”
However, Atiku Abubakar was on Friday night declared winner of the just concluded PDP presidential primary election which took place at the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Atiku, who lost the 2019 presidential election to President Muhammadu Buhari, polled a total of 371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Governor Wike who garnered 237 votes.
