PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 25 February 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar has said that he nearly lost his life and his son in his struggle to build democracy in Nigeria.
Atiku also said his efforts which started during the era of military rule nearly crippled his businesses, Daily Post reported.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the former vice president said he was, therefore, sad with the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
He said: “It is with a heart full of sadness that I address you today. I have in the last three decades devoted my life to the battle to birth and deepen democracy in our country.
“It was a battle that started during the military era. It was a struggle that nearly cost me my life and that of my son where eight policemen were killed in the attempt to save our lives. I survived the assassination only by the mercy and the grace of God.
“That was not all, my businesses were nearly crippled. My commitment to the enthronement of democracy made me join forces with other compatriots.
“As a leader of the defunct Social Democratic Party, together with our current Chairman, we fought and won the 1993 presidential election which was acclaimed to be the freest in our nation’s history. There was no internet then, yet it was the freest and fairest election”.
Working with Peter Obi.
Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar.
According to a report by Premium Times, the PDP presidential candidate
admitted that Obi's candidacy reduced PDP votes from its former Southeast and South-South strongholds, but noted that it is uncertain if victory in both regions is enough for Obi to "achieve his objective."
"You all know that to win the presidential election in Nigeria, you need votes from everywhere.
"The question of whether I would work with Peter or not, whether Peter wounded the PDP—yes to some extent he did because all the votes he carried were PDP votes in the South-east and South-south. So that is true. That is politics. Whether he will achieve his objective by that or not, that is left to God to decide,” he said.
PDP governors scared Obi away.
Reacting to a question from a journalist, on why Obi left the PDP, Atiku said the LP candidate left the party before the presidential primaries because of PDP governors' stance at the time that both the presidential and vice presidential candidates must come from among them.
“I think Peter was in a rush. Do you know why I said he was in a rush? Because when the campaign started, and our PDP governors sat down that they must produce the president among them, they must produce the vice president among them, and they must produce the chief of staff amongst them, Peter got scared and left.
“I did not get scared, I stood up against the governors. When we formed the PDP, some of them were perhaps in secondary school or universities, so why should I be afraid?
"I stood up and I fought them and I won the primary. If he was there, nothing could have stopped him from becoming a running mate because I had the right to choose whomever I wanted as my running mate.
Constitutional provisions.
Section 134 of the Nigerian constitution provides that: “(1) A candidate for an election to the office of the President shall be deemed to have been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election.
“(a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and
“(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
According to the INEC, Atiku did not get the constitutionally required 25 percent,
although he got the 25 percent spread in 21 states, Obi got a minimum of 25 percent in 17 states, while Tinubu got the threshold in 30 states, thereby fulfilling the requirements.
Politics and Opinion.
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