- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar shed tears over state of the nation after he received the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential nomination form bought by his support group
- Atiku in an emotional speech noted that he has not received this much love from the people since three decades he has been in politics
- Support groups of the former vice president had purchased and presented the nomination and expression of interest forms to Atiku, urging him to contest for presidency in the 2019 election
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Friday, August 31, shed tears openly over the sorry state of the nation when he received the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential nomination form bought by his support group, Nigerian Tribune reports.
eagleee.com gathered that Atiku lamented the hopelessness in the country and vowed to restore sanity to the land if elected as president come 2019.
The former vice president speaking in Abuja after Atiku Support group, a movement drumming support for his presidential candidature handed him the expression of interest and nomination forms bought on his behalf, assured that he was in the race to restore the lost glory of the nation which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had failed to do as earlier promised.
Former vice President, Atiku Abubakar, shed tears after he was gifted the expression of interest and nomination form in Abuja. Photo credit: Twitter
He declared that the form was significant and historic because it was the first time in his political career that young men and women in the country would come together without his knowledge and consent to contribute their hard earned money to buy him to the forms.
He said: “It is almost three decades of my political career this year. But today has also turned out to be one of the most emotional days in those three decades of my political career. I have tried to present myself as a candidate for the office of the president in a number of elections. The only time I succeeded in being on the ballot was in 2007.
“In 2007, I was on the ballot not because I believe I was going to win but because I wanted to prove a constitutional issue so that all Nigerians can avail themselves with the constitutional protection and I succeeded at the Supreme Court. And that is why today no Nigerian can be stopped from contesting an election unless he has been convicted by a court of law.”
Presidential aspirant wiping his eyes with a white handkerchief to fight back tears at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Abuja. Photo credit: Twitter
“But putting together such talented young Nigerians requires leadership and it is that leadership we have not been fortunate enough to have on a consistent basis as that this country so that this country can take its rightful position in Africa and indeed the world
“But you could have seen one of the people who spoke, the lady who spoke virtually succeeded in getting me to weep. This is because she aptly described the challenges every Nigerian is facing in this country today and she believed honestly and sincerely from the bottom of her heart that I could be an instrument of addressing those challenges.
“So, for such a woman to believe that I have got those leadership qualities and including those of you who have brought out your monies to by this form is one of the most serious challenges I have ever faced in my political career.
“It is not that it is not doable, it is doable and I think together we can do it. So, ladies and gentlemen, I want to make an undertaking and I hope we get that opportunity to work together so that this undertaking of mine can be achieved because I alone cannot achieve that undertaking
“I hope this endeavours of ours will result in a success in the nomination and of course subsequently in the general election so that together we can work. The undertaking I’m going to give you is that it is our job together, and I promised you we are going to doing it together
“Let me once again extend to you my greatest admiration for this gesture you have done to me and I believe as you purchased the form, so you will also run round to make sure that I have been duly nominated from different parts of this country so that when I go to submit the forms I will again enjoy your company and support.
“And on that day, let us overwhelm the PDP Secretariat, let us bring Abuja to a standstill, I bet you by the time we overwhelm the secretariat and bring Abuja to a standstill, the PDP we have no alternative than to give us the ticket.”
The former vice president recalled that he was brought into politics as a young man by the late Musa Yar’dua who urged them to break the regional siege that every part of the county had been subjected to which he said prompted all his actions in his political career in life.
Princess Adekemi Adesanya, in her remarks, on behalf of Atiku Support Group said that visionless leadership and bad economic policies were responsible for the present contraption in the nation’s economy.
The national co-ordinator of Atiku Abubakar Support Group, Hon Oladimeji Fabayi also, speaking at the occasion, said that the various groups drumming supports for the Wazirin Adamawa decided to purchase to forms based on their conviction that he was capable of restoring sanity back to the country with his wealth of experience.
Emiratco previously reported that former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has assured aspirants to elective positions in 2019 general elections of level-playing ground in the primaries to be conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He gave the assurance while receiving former Governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Atihiru Bafarawa, on Friday in his office in Yenagoa.
Jonathan said that with a free and fair primary election, any aspirants that lost would not be aggrieved but would support others for the progress of the party.
