Of all the aspirants contesting for the presidency in all the parties, there is none that can match his efforts and planning. For the past 2 months now, former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who wants to be the next President, has been on the road, traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria. Last Saturday, Atiku held a grand rally in Yola, in preparation for the race. He wants to be the PDP flagbearer for the 2019 Presidential election. So he has been consulting widely across the states. He has been to many states in the South-South, South-East and South-West. He has also visited many Northern States to consult with political stakeholders in the PDP, from the PDP Jonathan National exco led by Prince Uche Secondus to State excos across the country. As he moves from one party chieftain to another, Atiku has been saying to them, that he wants their support for his ambition to run for Presidency, on the platform of the PDP. Not only that. He has been telling them that he is the best qualified and experienced aspirant equipped to beat the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.
By the last count, he has been to Ekiti, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Cross River, Delta, Gombe, Borno and Abia States.
He has also met elder statesmen like IBB, ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo at various times. He has met and consulted with all the State Chairmen of PDP, all State Secretaries of PDP, PDP former National Assembly members, current serving PDP Senators, current Serving PDP members of the House of Representatives, former PDP Deputy Governors, all PDP Zonal and State Youth leaders and all Zonal Chairmen of PDP.
He has also met with Governors Ayo Fayose, Seriake Dickson, Nyesom Wike, Udom Emmanuel.
That is why the former Vice-President has become the leading presidential aspirant in the race. Ahead of other aspirants, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has fully commenced consultation and familiarisation tours across the country. Another fresh round of consultations began on Monday, July 16, 2018, ahead of the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former number two citizen began with a scheduled visit to Gombe State last Monday, then proceeded to Borno State the following Tuesday, then Taraba on Wednesday and Adamawa on Thursday.
According to the Timetable of his tour released by Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the Director-General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation and former Governor of Ogun State, Alhaji Atiku will commence the South West visitation on Monday, July 30 in Lagos, while that of North East will start from Jigawa on August 6th with North West, South East and North Central scheduled for August 7th, August 13th and August 15th respectively.
An official reception in respect of his presidential ambition was held last Saturday, July 21st, in Yola by the Adamawa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, it was tagged: “Mega Rally”.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable released in January, mandates all political parties to conduct party primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from the primaries between August 18 and October 7, 2018.
Atiku is expected to battle the former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido; Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo; former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa; former Governors of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso for the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party.
After the mega rally this Saturday July 21, the Atiku campaign team will move to Lagos on Monday, July 30, 2018 and then to Ogun State on July 31, Tuesday and Oyo on that same day. He will proceed to Osun on Wednesday, August 1, and Ondo on that same day and go to Ekiti on Thursday August 2. The team will move to Jigawa on Monday August 6, and then Kano on that same day. He will storm Kebbi on August 7, Tuesday, and Sokoto on that same day. Zamfara is next on August 8, Wednesday, and Katsina will hold that same day.
Then the team goes to Kaduna on August 9, Thursday and Imo on August 13, Monday, and Abia on that same Monday. Enugu comes next that same day. And Anambra is on August 15, Wednesday. The team goes to FCT on August 16, Saturday and Nasarrawa on August 20, Monday, and Benue on that same Monday. Plateau is next on August 21, Tuesday, and Niger that same day. Kwara comes next on August 22, Wednesday, and Kogi is next on August 23, Thursday. Then comes Edo on August 24, Saturday.
So far Atiku is the only Presidential aspirant that has embarked on such a grand visitation across the 36 states of the federation.
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