Atiku weeps as supporters present him PDP nomination form

Former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku yesterday wept in Abuja as his supporters presented him the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expression of interest and nomination forms for the party’s presidential primary.

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Atiku was overwhelmed by emotion as one of his supporters narrated the challenges confronting Nigeria, and expressed hope that he is better placed to rescue the country. According to him, he had tried to present himself as a candidate for the presidency several times but succeeded only in being on the ballot in 2007.

The former Vice President charged his supporters to overwhelm the PDP national secretariat and bring Abuja to a standstill on the day he would submit his nomination form, so that the opposition party would have no choice than to give him the presidential ticket.

Atiku is one of the 12 aspirants jostling for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 general election.

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He said, “I have tried to present myself as a candidate for the office of the president in a number of elections. The only time I succeeded in being on the ballot was in 2007.

“ In 2007, I was on the ballot not because I believe I was going to win but because I wanted to prove a constitutional issue so that all Nigerians can avail themselves the constitutional protection and I succeeded at the Supreme Court. And that is why today no Nigerian can be stopped from contesting an election unless he has been convicted by a court of law.

“The event today is significant, is historic because this is the only time in my political career that young men and women in this country have come together without my knowledge or even consent, to contribute their own hard earned money to buy me a nomination and expression of interest f‎orms.

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“But you could have seen one of the people who spoke, the lady who spoke virtually succeeded in getting me to weep. This is because she aptly described the challenges every Nigerian is facing in this country today and she believed honestly and sincerely from the bottom of her heart that I could be an instrument of addressing those challenges.

“On that day, let us overwhelm the PDP secretariat, let us bring Abuja to a standstill, I bet you by the time we overwhelm the secretariat and bring Abuja to a standstill, the PDP will have no alternative than to give us the ticket.”