2019: How Atiku clinched PDP presidential ticket; Party attributes success to transparent, fair process
Port Harcourt, Oct. 7, 2019
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential ticket for the 2019 general elections with 1532 votes out of the total 3221 votes cast by 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The result, was announced by Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, Chairman PDP 2018 Special National Convention Planning Committee, at the end of the party’s convention on Sunday in Port Harcourt, had Gov. Aminu Tambuwal following Atiku with 693 votes, while Sen. Bukola Saraki placed third with 317 votes.
Others include: Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso 158 votes; Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo 111 votes; Sule Lamido 96 votes and Ahmed Makarfi 74 votes.
The rest are: Tanimu Turaki 65 votes; Attahiru Bafarawa 48 votes; Sen. David Mark 35 votes; Jonah Jang 19 votes; while Datti Ahmed got 5 votes.
The total votes cast were 3221, while delegates accredited were 3,274 and the voided votes stood at 68.
Atiku Abubakar was born on Nov. 25, 1946, in Jada, Adamawa. He was the vice-president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), with Olusegun Obasanjo as President.
Abubakar worked with the Nigeria Customs Service for twenty years, rising to become the Deputy Director, the second highest position in the Service, then. He retired in April 1989 and took up full-time business and politics.
Abubakar contested the APC presidential ticket in 2015 and came third behind Muhammadu Buhari and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
He recently defected to the PDP from the APC to enable him to realise his ambition to become the president of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the PDP has said that the success of presidential primary election had demonstrated its strict adherence to democratic rules, principles of transparency and fairness.
The party made the remark in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan said the success showed that citizens, irrespective of their individual and group interests, were capable of holding peaceful and credible elections that met global standards.
“Simply put, in the PDP Presidential primary, every vote counted.
“We invite the whole world to note that the PDP conducted its presidential primary and a clear winner, Atiku Abubakar, emerged, without any form of disagreements or reliance on heavy security.
“This shows that Nigerians are peaceful, orderly and desirous of credible processes at all levels of political engagement.
Ologbondiyan restated PDP’s determination to dismantle the rigging machinery and return credible processes in all spheres of Nigerian national life.
Speaking after winning the ticket, Abubakar commended his fellow contestants for the display of unity and commitment during the convention.
He described the convention as a landmark event, adding: ”today, we have also witnessed the most credible, transparent and fair primaries.
”Let me commend my fellow contestants for displaying unity of purpose and commitment. This is a very rare event.
“My fellow contestants have shown that the interest of the party is paramount to our individual interests.
