The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has prescribed the rules to former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is being speculated to be headed to his former party, after resigning last week from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku dumped the APC Friday last week. There are strong indications of his imminent arrival at the major opposition party, the PDP.
The chairman the PDP’s Board of Trustees, Walid Jibrin, has been quoted as having prescribed the basic rules which Atiku must abide by, if he desires to fly PDP’s flag at the 2019 general election..
Jibrin, a former senator from Nasarawa State, was quoted as saying that the PDP field of presidential contenders has expanded in recent weeks, and Atiku Abubakar should expect a rigorous competition for the party’s ticket.
He said the PDP is expecting him, but first, the former vice-president “must subject himself to all the constitutional instruments of the party” if he “really wants to be president.”
He said most of the presidential hopefuls that have expressed their intention since the party ‘zoned’ its presidential ticket to the North are political heavyweights.
All our candidates are very strong and the former vice-president is going to meet some interesting challengers, Jibrin reportedly added.
Sule Lamido and Ibrahim Shekarau are amongst those who have commenced 2019 consultations in recent weeks on the platform of the PDP.
Atiku Abubakar is expected to join the party at his ward in his home state of Adamawa in the coming days.
His registration would be in time for his participation at the party’s national convention scheduled for December 9 in Abuja, it was learnt.
Members are also expected to elect a substantive chairman for the party at the convention.
“As leaders of the party, we’re supposed to play down on our personal political ambitions,” the PDP chieftain said.
Tunde Adeniran, Bode George and Uche Secondus are members of the PDP Board of Trustees, which has long been dubbed the conscience of the party.