The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on the people of the North East geopolitical zone not to vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections.
The former Vice President made the call last Saturday during a reunion with his supporters upon return to his home state.
During the union, Umaru Fintiri, the PDP governorship candidate for Adamawa was presented to the electorate.
He called on the people of North East to uproot the APC out of the region.
He said the people of the North East had a chance to regain political prominence in the country by voting his party, the PDP in the 2019 general elections from bottom to the top.
Abubakar said, “We thank God for this homecoming which has afforded me the opportunity to make this reunion since my emergence as the Presidential candidate of the PDP. It is no longer news that I emerged the Presidential candidate of our party – the PDP at the Port Harcourt convention.
“It is not just my desire that the people of North East gain prominence again but it’s a sacred duty that the people must root out the APC completely from the bottom to the top.
“We have that chance to choose the PDP and be in front. I am a son of the North East, I have returned to thank the people of Adamawa and the entire North East, for our feat in Port Harcourt.
“I want to appeal that you vote out the APC from the region by ensuring that from the Presidency down to the states you elect only the PDP. From bottom to the top l want the PDP to be in control as far as this zone is concerned.”
Similarly, Hajiya Titi Abubakar, wife of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, said she married her husband because of his honesty, sincerity and integrity.
Mrs Atiku made the remarks when a group, Women for Atiku, paid her a courtesy visit at her Maitama residence in Abuja.
“I get confused whenever I read the false allegations of corruption being peddled by mischief makers against my husband in the media.
“I ask myself if they are referring to my husband whom I have been married to for 47 years or a different person.
“No one knows my husband like I do and their descriptions of him are totally that of a different person and not that of the man I love and adore because of his uprightness.
She said they were brought together by destiny and had been endeared to him because of his sterling qualities and patriotism to his fatherland.
“I was on my way back to Nigeria from Benin Republic where I visited my aunt and was accosted by custom officials at the Idi-Iroko Boarder who demanded for payment of a duty for the pair of brocade material which was a gift from my aunt.
“An argument ensued between us and I told them to keep the material because I would not pay duty for a pair of brocade, and a gift at that.
“The officer, who was Head of the Command at that time intervened, paid for the duty charge and gave me the receipt.
“One thing led to the other, we hooked up later and the rest is now history.
“As the head, he could have chosen to order that I be allowed to go, but he paid for the duty and that act from that time impressed me and I fell deeply in love with the man Atiku,’’ she said.
The National Coordinator of Women for Atiku, Mrs Blessing Ebera, thanked Mrs Abubakar for the warm reception accorded her group and pledged that it would continue to mobilise women across every ward to vote for Atiku Abubakar come 2019.
She said that the National leadership and the 36 state coordinators of the group visited to inform her that with the commencement of campaign, the group was set to penetrate every corner of Nigeria to mobilise support towards an Atiku victory in 2019.
Ebera said that the group would also embark on voters’ mobilisation and education.
She said that the acquisition of Permanent voters Card (PVC) would be mandatory for every female of voting age in Nigeria.
She urged those that registered but were yet to collect their PVCs to visit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for collection.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 115 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who failed in the state House of Assembly primaries of the party are threatening to withdraw support for the party and Governor Jibrilla Bindow in the 2019 general elections.
One of the unsuccessful aspirants who spoke to our correspondent in confidence said they were considering the step following, ‘’the unprecedented injustice and impunity that prevailed before and after the choice of the party’s state assembly flag bearers across the state.”
The source, who hails from the same local government area with the governor, alleged the governor colluded with serving members of the Assembly and party officials to ensure the serving members got automatic tickets, a development he described as antithetical to democratic norms.
He said the party sold to them nomination forms “at a whopping cost of N950,000” only to refuse to hold party primaries.
According to the politician, “135 of us including serving members were sold forms at a whopping N950,000 per head. We went through the rigorous processes of party primaries, including screenings, mobilising our supporters and delegates but one week to the primaries, we were summoned by party officials at Mubi where they told us point black that they were directed to endorse only sitting members, otherwise they stand the risk of losing their seats.
“That was how we were all rigged out of the election. Some of us invested more than N15million in the process only to be rigged out of the contest,” he said.
Another aggrieved aspirant, Yohanna Mayo, said the worst travesty meted to them was the failure of the party hierarchy to make any move to pacify and involve them in party affairs as directed by the national secretariat of the party.
“After the unilateral endorsement of the serving members, we thought the party hierarchy will become contrite and appeal to us to sheathe our swords even for the sake of winning elections, but that has not been done, leading to protests within the party.
“It was on the altar of such indignant protests that Governor Bindow convened a meeting with us at Government House Yola about three weeks ago.
“About 84 of us attended the meeting under the aegis of the United Aspirants Awareness Forum led by Hon Dayyabu Jada. The governor told us to exercise restraint and not defect out of the party and thereafter gave us a token of N5million.
“I find it extremely difficult to assimilate how people that spent hundreds of millions to buy nomination forms alone could be compensated with just N5million as if we are paupers. It is for these considerations that we unanimously consider withdrawing our support for Bindow and APC come 2019,” he said.
He said had proper election been conducted, they would have no qualms supporting the party with all their might, noting that “since APC is not my religion, I don’t think I’m under any compulsion to worship it.”
Contacted on the matter, the state commissioner of information, Ahmad Sajo, simply said, ‘’It was a party matter, the governor has no hand in conducting party primaries.’’
The organising secretary of the party, Ahmad Lawal said measures were being put in place to reconcile with the aggrieved aspirants.
‘’Already, a committee was set up on the matter, so I don’t want to add salt to injury,’’ he said.
She assured Mrs Abubakar that members of the group had strategized to mobilise at least 50 women in every ward across the country through synergy with other women support groups.