SAN FRANCISCO, October 07, (THEWILL) – Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Uche Secondus has said that in the just concluded Presidential Primary of the PDP, there was no victor and no vanquished.
Giving a speech after the declaration of Atiku Abubakar as the winner of the polls, Secondus said that all the aspirants in the election won the election.
Secondus insisted that the process being free and fair, had all the aspirants contesting as brothers, adding that although a winner has been declared, the credibility of the process was a victory for PDP and all the aspirants.
He called on the aspirants to keep true to their congratulatory message to Atiku Abubakar, urging them to work together as one bloc to ensure that the PDP clinches power in 2019 and save Nigeria.
Secondus also used the opportunity to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “learn from the Presidential Primary of the PDP and know that election can be free and fair”
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki who scored the third highest vote in the election congratulated Atiku Abubakar, pledging on behalf of all the aspirants to work with Atiku to actualise the goal of a PDP president in 2019.
On his part, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, one of the contestants, has congratulated the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In is twitter handle, @HEDankwambo, he said: “Congratulations to Former Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his emergence as the flag bearer of our great party, the People’s Democratic Party.
“We are united under one Umbrella and we will work assiduously for our party’s victory in 2019.’’
Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers state also congratulated the four time presidential candidate, Abubakar, for the winning the party’s ticket to stand for the fifth time in 2019.
At the end of the count of the votes at the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar polled 1,532 to clinch the ticket.
The Fulani-born Waziri of Adamawa, businessman and politician beat 11 other contestants to face another tribesman, incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 2019 presidential election.
His closet rival, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, scored 693 votes.
With the win, Atiku would have to face incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of APC and Donald Duke of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and some others in the February 2019 presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar – 1,532
Aminu Tambuwal – 693
Bukola Saraki – 317
Sanator David Mark – 35
Sule Lamido – 96
Kabiru Turaki – 65
Donald Jang – 19
Datti Ahmed – 5
Attahiru Bafarawa – 48
Ibrahim Dankwanbo – 111
Ahmed Makarfi – 74
Rabiu Kwankwanso – 158
72-year-old Abubakar, a businessman, who served as the second elected vice-president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, on the platform of the PDP with President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Abubakar worked in the Nigeria Customs Service for twenty years, rising to become the Deputy Director before he retired in April 1989 to go into politics.
He ran for the office of governor in the Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba States) in 1991, and for the Presidency in 1993, placing third after MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries.
In 1998 he was elected Governor of Adamawa State. While still Governor-Elect he was selected by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate.
The duo went on to win elections in February 1999, and Abubakar was sworn-in as Nigeria’s second democratically elected vice president on 29 May 1999.
Abubakar’s second term as Vice President was marked by a stormy relationship with President Obasanjo.
Abubakar ran for presidency on the platform of the Action Congress, having quit the PDP on account of his issues with President Obasanjo.
Abubakar lost the election, placing third after Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
He joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and sought the party’s ticket in 2014 but lost to President Muhammadu Buhari at the primary held in Lagos.
Abubaker defected again in May to PDP where he on Sunday clinched the ticket to tackle incumbent President Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.
Abubakar is a co-founder of Intels, an oil servicing business with extensive operations in Nigeria and abroad and founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN).
