It is no longer news that the People`s Democratic Party have concluded her 2022 convention and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former governor of Taraba State and two time Vice President of Nigeria is the party`s flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election.
Following the successful conclusion of the exercise, more indications are beginning to emerge from the earlier revelations of how funds in United States Dollars were exchange between former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwazo and Governor Nyesom Wike, who was an aspirant to represent the PDP as the flagbearer in the just concluded convention.
It was reported that the former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was provided with the sum of $15,000 by Governor Nyesom Wike for the purpose of mobilizing the People`s Democratic Party (PDP) delegates from Kano State for their votes in support of Wike’s bid for the PDP ticket.
This was promptly denied by Senator Kwankwaso in a press release signed by his aide on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Adamu. The Senator and former governor dismissed the media report, describing it simply as “spurious allegation” and “malevolent information, which is totally false.” He went further to warn the public about the allegations, advising that it should be “completely disregarded.”
Nevertheless, following the development from the just concluded PDP convention, this allegation has received a new attention and further interpretations from watchers of events. The strong showing that the governor of River State, Nyesom Wike came to many as unexpected surprise. Wike who scored 237 votes from the PDP delegates was only 100 votes short of victory against Atiku who eventually emerged victorious.
What was in Wike`s victory for Kwankwaso? The emergence of Nyesom WIke would have left Senator Musa Kwankwaso the undisputed candidate of the North for the 2023 presidential election, which in no doubt would have brightened his path to emerging as the next president after Muhammadu Buhari. However, with Atiku Abubakar`s victory in a bigger party like the PDP, Senator Kwankwaso now faces an uphill task in his ambition to become president.
Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is the national leader and presidential aspirant of the New Nigerian People`s Party (NNPP), a rarely known political party with little or no structures anywhere around the country.
The People`S Democratic Party, PDP convention was concluded on Saturday night in Abuja. The former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party`s candidate for 2023 presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar who is also a former governor of Taraba State scored 371 votes to emerge as the party flagbearer defeating his closest contender, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, who polled 237 votes.
Sen. David Mark, the Chairman and Chief Retuning Officer of the PDP Special Convention, announcing the results, said total number of accredited delegates was 767, the total number of votes cast was 763, while 13 were invalid votes.
Mark said that “Abubakar having scored the highest votes in the election is hereby declared the winner”.
He also announced the votes scored by other aspirants as Former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki – 70 votes and Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom – 38 votes,
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim – 14 votes and Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State – 20 votes.
The only female Aspirant, Mrs Tari Oliver, and the former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mazi Samuel Ohuabunwa scored one vote each.
Other aspirants without vote included former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu; former Speaker of Abia State, Chikwendu Kalu; and former Deputy Speaker of Abia State, Cosmos Ndekwe.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former governor Peter Obi of Anambra had earlier withdrawn from the race and resigned from the party.
Others that withdrew from the race were financial expert, Mohammed Hayatudeen, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze.
Abubakar born on Nov. 25, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa, ran for governor of the state three times in 1990, 1997 and 1998, when he was elected before becoming the running mate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, of which he remained the vice president till 2003.
Abubakar contested for the office of the president several times, including 2014, when he ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and lost at the primaries to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also ran as the PDP presidential candidate in 2019, but lost Buhari of APC.
Written by Ken Obi, a Clariform Staff Writer. Ken can be reached on ken.obi@clariform.com.
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