*Asks Northern elders not to choose presidential candidate for PDP
*I’m best out of 17 PDP presidential aspirants, already had 11m votes in 2019 poll, says Ex-VP
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has said he won’t work for the presidential aspiration of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, despite their friendship that spans over 30 years.
Rather, he said he will work for all the 17 presidential aspirants of the party.
He emphasised determination to be neutral in the party’s selective process while responding to Atiku who was at the PDP secretariat Abuja on Thursday to seek support of the National Working Committee (NWC) for his aspiration.
Ayu urged Atiku as well other 16 presidential aspirants to intensify their lobby of the party’s delegates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who will decide PDP standard bearer.
Pledging not to unduly favour Atiku because of their long term relationship, the national chairman said: “Let me acknowledge the fact that you and I have been close personal friends for more than 30 years. As it was indicated, we were key players in the Social Democratic Party and key players in the emergence of Chief MKO Abiola, an election that was free and fair.
“But I want people to know that you are still my friend. I can’t deny you. I never deny my friends including those who are in the other disastrous party. You know them because even then we have common friends who miss road, who normally should be here with us.
“I’m saying this to make it clear that those who say Oh, because of my personal relationship with you, as chairman, I’ll work for you. Mr. Vice President, I will not work for you as an aspirant. I will work for all the 17 aspirants.
“It is left to you to convince the delegates of our party that you are the best. You have to market yourself, you have to work hard. This National Working Committee for now we remain an umpire. We are not going to take side with any particular aspirants. But we love you all. I’ve said repeatedly that each one of you given the opportunity will run this country better than what APC has done or will be able to do.
“So in that light, our delegates drawn across the 36 states plus Abuja were ultimately gather hopefully in Abuja and select one of you and the day a candidate emerges we will all rally around that candidate and make sure we win the presidential election next year.”
Ayu assured that the NWC will support whoever emerged PDP candidate, saying
“If you happen to be the choice of our delegates, all of us sitting here, the National Working Committee will work very hard to ensure that you win the 2023 elections. And when you win, it will not be taken away again as it was done in 2019.”
The chairman, however, said the party has its own internal mechanisms of transparently selecting a candidate whether by consensus, or by election.
Warning against the failed consensus election, Ayu said “those who love our party more than us should please tarry a little, they should not select candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party. They don’t have our mandate and we will not concede that mandate to anybody,
“Young or an elder who chooses by himself to choose candidate for us. Our internal processes will go ahead and we are going ahead with it. At the end of the day, we’ll come up with a candidate chosen by the members of the Peoples Democratic Party themselves. It is that candidate that we will present to the rest of Nigeria for the forthcoming elections.”
Earlier in his speech, Atiku said he is the best out of the 17 PDP presidential aspirants having already had 11 million votes won in the 2019 election in his kitty.
Atiku said his administration will focus on unity, security, economy and devolution of powers.
He said: “When I declared to run for the president of this country, I said I was going to emphasise on five key issues and these five key issues are germane. I said I was going to make sure that I reunite this country. And that was why I referred myself as the unifier.
“Secondly, I said I was going to deal decisively with security issues because there has to be rule of law, there has to be security.
“Members of the National Working Committee, you also know I also promised to deal with the economy. So of course, after you have achieved unity, after you have achieved peace, the next is to deal with the economy.
“And you know Mr. Chairman and many of your colleagues here on the National Working Committee know that when we came into office in 1999, we virtually met a similar situation like we have today. Nigeria was indebted. We had no foreign reserves, economy was in shambles. Mr. Chairman, and very many of you here who are in doubt may know that by the time we left, we left Nigeria in the most healthiest economic position. We have done it before, Mr. Chairman, we can do it again.
“Of course, I also said in my declaration speech, I was also going to deal with the issue of devolving more powers and resources to the States because I believe that is the best way to get Nigeria developed to its fullest capacity by giving autonomy and resources to the various components.”