SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, (THEWILL) – After months of dilly-dallying and speculations, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has officially declared his intention to run for president in 2019 on the Platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku announced his candidacy in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday, four months after dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was in Rivers with the former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel; Senator Abdul Ningi and some other party leaders.
Atiku explained that his decision to make the announcement in Rivers State is because he believes the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, represents what he (Atiku) represented in 1998/99 as the live wire of the PDP.
Governor Wike, in reaction, described the former VP as a presidential candidate feared by the APC.
Wike declared that the PDP is not just interested in seizing power in 2019 but is out to rescue Nigeria from what he described as a period of maladministration by the APC.
The Governor called on other aspirants of the party to do nothing to jeopardise its chances in the 2019 general elections insisting that all genuine members of the party are its live wire.
THEWILL recalls that Atiku contested against President Muhammadu Buhari for the APC presidential ticket for the 2015 general elections but resigned from the APC in November 2017.
On December 3, 2017, he announced his return to the PDP
