By  Dirisu Yakubu

With barely eight months to the 2019 general elections, there are indications that the main opposition party in the land, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may pick former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its Presidential flag bearer. Atiku, who in December 2017 ended his romance with the All Progressives Congress for a return to the PDP is now set to make his formal declaration of intent having completed his consultation amongst critical stakeholders of the party.

Earlier in the week, the former Vice President was a guest of the Forum of former Presiding Officers of State Assemblies in Abuja, where he availed them of his plans for the nation if given the nod of the party to fly the flag in the 2019 Presidential election. The meeting which held at the Gombe Jewel Hotel behind closed doors lasted for about 30 minutes with Atiku evading questions on what transpired between him and the ex-lawmakers.

Saturday Vanguard  however gathered from one of the former lawmakers that Atiku gave a good showing of himself while presenting his plans to reposition the fortunes of the PDP preparatory for the big test in 2019.

Atiku-Abubakar

According to him, there is no doubt that the Wazirin Adamawa has all it takes to defeat whoever the All Progressives Congress (APC) would field at the polls, saying the benefit of having work in government for long in a democratic epoch is a factor in the armoury of Atiku.

“Basically, we were impressed with his plans for our party and Nigeria. And maybe he was a Vice President for eight years and participated in key decision making; he is ahead of others in the pecking order today. But until we hear from all the Presidential aspirants on the platform of our party, it would be too early in the day to say we have settled for Mr. ABC or what have you,” he stated.

While not ruling out the possibility of the party delegates to pick the former Vice President, the lanky fellow who hails from the North-West geo-political zone tasked the PDP on the importance of settling for the right man, adding that now that the party would be going to the elections as an opposition; no effort should be spared to eliminate errors capable of working against the interest of the party.

“I will only advise the leadership of our party not to forget that we are going into this election from a position of weakness. We were voted out in 2015 and to bounce back, you need the best candidate not only for the Presidential election but across all elective positions on offer. The forum will evaluate all aspirants and take an informed decision in the interest of the party and Nigerians,” he added.

Atiku according to findings by our correspondent is seeking to get bloc votes from the forum whose members numbering over 200 are statutory delegates of the party. Atiku in a brief chat with newsmen had described the forum as “A force to be reckoned with based on their numbers and their experiences,” a remark that was to be re-echoed by Inuwa Garba, former Speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly, who said:  “We as former Presiding officers of State Assemblies have a platform of over 200 delegates and the aspirants are coming to us to tell us what they will offer Nigerians. It is not going to be business as usual. This time, we are not just going to anoint any person as our candidate without knowing his capacity and without the assurance that he has a good track record and the vision to be able to bring Nigerians out of this terrible situation. We are interacting with the aspirants as envisaged candidates on our party platform.

“And the fact that we are among the statutory delegates of the party, we are in the process of interacting and listening to them to know and hear what they have for Nigerians. Former Presiding Officers of State Assemblies will vote in bloc based on our understanding and firm belief that the aspirant so chosen is the best and would be able to deliver  success to the party to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. We are out for a candidate that will unite this country for the better,” Garba stated.

Obasanjo Factor

It appears Atiku’s quest to secure the sole ticket of the PDP to confront the APC is bringing him closer to his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo. The two have endured a frosty relationship following allegations of disloyalty on the part of Atiku while serving as Vice President (1999-2007). In his widely publicized memoir, “My Watch,” Obasanjo portrayed his former deputy not worthy of trust, detailing how acts allegedly perpetrated by the former number-two man got him (Obasanjo) worried.

However, all these seem to have been laid to rest following moves to have both men buried the hatchet in the interest of the nation. As it were, neither Obasanjo nor Atiku is happy with the state of affairs of the Nigerian state under the three years of Buhari. At every public fora, both men continue to sermonise on the need to bring on board a new leadership personified by a President that is everyone but Buhari. As a result, talks of Obasanjo support for Atiku’s bid is gaining currency by the day. Last week, Atiku met with the Ota farmer at a forum organised by the Gusau Institute on “A New Era for China-Africa Cooperation” at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

Besides that public outing, Atiku was said to have met with Obasanjo at an undisclosed location in Abuja with fresh talks set to continue. Should the ex-Head of State formally close ranks with his one-time political associate and forge a common front to tackle the APC in 2019; Atiku may be on the driving seat to secure the ticket of the PDP for the big test; having failed to realise his ambition since quitting public office in 2007.

Obasanjo is currently leading a coalition against Buhari; an idea the PDP says it is ready to embrace in the overall interest of Nigeria and her people.