Ayu rallies support for Atiku, presents certificate of return to candidate
By Tunde Opalana
National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu on Wednesday presented certificate of return to the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku emerged PDP flag bearer early Sunday morning after defeating other aspirants at the party’s special national convention held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, DailyTimes gathered.
In his address shortly before the certificate presentation, Ayu said “Atiku Abubakar is not yet victorious. He has only been produced as our candidate, the candidate of the whole party. There were no victors, there were no vanquished, the party won. It is the party that won.”
He congratulated all the contestants in what he described as a minor contest within the PDP family saying “if they didn’t participate, it actually would not have been a successful event. We want to thank all of you aspirants for your contribution to the growth of this great party. We appreciate you all.”
Rallying support for Atiku, the national chairman said: “We need all of you because each one of you has a supporter and all of you plus all your supporters, we want you all to fuse together into one happy political family. It is this family that will face the battle ahead.
“We have only started a journey. We shall end this journey sometime next year. By the first of June next year, we should take over power from colourless and clueless government that has totally destroyed this country.
“All of you are aware of what has happened to our country in the last seven years. I don’t need to repeat issues of insecurity, total destruction of the economy, total disunity of the country. We have never been as divided as we are today as a country. Families are divided, communities are divided against each other.
“There is no trust among ourselves. The president that is coming in is tested and trusted. He will lead us to reunite the country. He will lead us to rebuild the economy. He will lead us to get rid of bandits and terrorists. He will re-enforce the armed forces. He will give us respect in the international community. Today we are a pariah state but in the next 12 months, the whole world will begin to respect Nigeria all over again.
“I urge all of you to come together. It doesn’t matter which candidate you supported, come together and support the party, support our efforts, support our candidates, the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I want to assure you that we in the National Working Committee will continue to work tirelessly because you didn’t elect to us to organize a successful convention, you elected us to win the presidency for you.
“You elected us to give you more governors, you elected us to take control or the two houses or the National Assembly. You elected us to win all the houses of assembly across the states and we will continue to do just that by working with you, by calling on many of you to come and help us execute this objectives because we can’t do it alone.”
The candidate,Atiku Abubakar shortly after receiving his certificate of return said the managerial ability of the leadership of the party is clear evidence that, “if we have a new PDP government, we will transform this country.”
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He said his victory is a victory for all PDP members and for the vast majority of Nigerians suffering under the misrule of the APC. “It was a collective effort, and I’m very grateful for everybody’s contributions,” he said.
Atiku appreciated the fact that it is with unity that the party can win the 2023 election saying “it will require the entire PDP family and other supporters and sympathizers. We must pull everyone together. Nobody should be excluded, I beg of you.
“I have already visited some of those who contested against me, as a way to lead in that effort to unify the party so that we can face our real opponents, defeat them in the elections and begin the process of rescuing and rebuilding this country from the callous and dangerous APC misrule over the past seven years which is there for everyone to see.
“However, we should not take that or their defeat for granted. We must unite and work extremely hard for every single vote in this country. There is so much to do. And there is very little time to waste. So let’s get to work. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much indeed.”
Five of the presidential aspirants who contested with Atiku were at the presentation of certificate of return to the presidential candidate.
The aspirants were Dr. Bukola Saraki, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Tariela Olivier Diana ,Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, and Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa,- Ibom State
Other party chieftains at the event include governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Chief Tom Ikimi, former governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Biodun Olujimi, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, and former Adamawa State governor, Boni Haruna.
