Presidency 2023: Boastful Tinubu Tells Atiku ‘You’ll Be My Opponent’

As the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential candidate, the 75-year-old Atiku Abubakar is set to go into another round of electoral contest with whoever that emerges as the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigerian People’s Party, (NNPP), among others, the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has congratulated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for emerging as the flag bearer of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections and urged him to be prepared for battle of the titan to face him in the political war.

Atiku secured the highest votes at the primary election conducted at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday.

Tinubu commended Atiku for his patriotism and commitment to Nigeria’s progress.

Tinubu also congratulated the other contestants for the orderly and peaceful way they conducted themselves and for pledging to rally round the winner, in the true spirit of democratic sportsmanship.

He said he expected the former Vice-President, who was also the 2019 presidential candidate of the PDP, to be his worthy opponent, by the Grace of God and the support of APC delegates, in the coming 2023 presidential election.

The APC National Leader said Atiku’s victory didn’t come as a surprise to Nigerians because of his vast experience as a statesman and veteran of many presidential contests from 1993.

The serial Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar had emerged victorious at the end of the collation of the final results of the PDP presidential primary held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

The PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 elections scored a total votes of 371 to defeat his closest rival, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who scored 237 votes.

Former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki scored 70 votes; another former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, polled 14 votes; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State (38); Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State (38); Mrs Taria Diana Oliver (1) and Sam Ohuabunwa (1), respectively and 12 votes were voided.

It was, indeed, a battle of wits as two other frontline presidential aspirants, former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, stepped down to declare their support for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The decision of Senator Saraki and Governor Tambuwal to withdraw from the PDP presidential primary strengthened the bid of the Adamawa State-born veteran politician.

It will be the sixth time the former vice president would be contesting for the highest elective political office in the land. He, as the PDP candidate, narrowly lost to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections.

Atiku Abubakar was first elected as the governor of Adamawa State in 1999 before he emerged as the choice of the PDP as the vice presidential candidate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He and Chief Obasanjo were later re-elected, still on the PDP platform as the president and vice president of the country and they were both in office till the expiration of their tenure in 2003.