I read Millers poem on Perseverance when I was compiling the book of quotations in August 1967 according to my notes at the time. It was a difficult time for me and I came close to giving up on life. Providentially, this poem came up in a book and courage returned. It is the perfect opening for this piece on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, former Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. His emergence as the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party actually started in 2006 at a breakfast meeting with leading columnists of the day in his residence at Ikoyi. Lagos. Some have passed on; many more are in voluntary or involuntary retirement. To the best of my knowledge, only few of us remain in active “service” since that meeting.

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Friday promised to name his cabinet before six months, unlike President Muhammadu Buhari that took months to name his.

Photos: Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate

NATIONAL Chairman of Pan -Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, the umbrella body of elders, leaders and stakeholders of South-South region, AVM Idongesit Nkanga (retd), yesterday, said the people of Niger Delta were excited about the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and his latest endorsement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

ABUJA- Prominent stakeholders yesterday lauded the choice of former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi as running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 general elections.

ABUJA: The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of lobbying the United States Government to lift the alleged travel ban placed on his former vice, Atiku Abubakar, now the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.

Reacting to Peter Obi’s emergence as Atiku’s running mate, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere urged both Atiku and Obi to remain steadfast in restructuring the country.

FORMER Delta State Governorship aspirant under platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, yesterday said Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a boost to PDP.

The candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the forthcoming 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Friday picked the former governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi as his running mate.

ABUJA- Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has promised to reward the 11 aspirants who contested the sole ticket with him, if he is elected President of Nigeria in the 2019 general elections.

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar will take full advantage of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, by engaging its members in the prosecution of his 2019 electioneering campaign, Vanguard has learnt.

The All Progressives Congress APC has again knocked the Peoples Democratic Party PDP for attempting to wish away alleged past infractions of its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo are among dignitaries expected to participate at a special pan-Nigerian conference designed to move the national conversation on political restructuring forward in the run-up to the 2019 elections.

Soon after the results  of the presidential primaries of the two major parties were announced on Sunday, a friend called me sounding despondent. He had voted for President Muhammadu Buhari since 2003, and was ecstatic when Buhari finally won at his fourth attempt in 2015.

EX-VP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar enjoyed a resounding victory last weekend; and his emergence as the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, PDP, has totally panicked many previously complacent members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,  because they know that Atiku is the only Nigerian politician who has what it takes to beat President Buhari in 2019.