BREAKING: Atiku Wins PDP Presidential Primary, Emerges Opposition Party's Candidate for 2023 Elections
FCT, Abuja - Nigeria's lead opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again elected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
Atiku who was also the PDP's presidential candidate in the 2019 elections polled the highest votes in the election which was held at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Saturday, May 28.
Source: Facebook
No fewer than 767 delegates decided the fate of the presidential aspirants jostling for the ticket of the party.
PDP presidential primary: How Atiku won
Atiku emerged as winner with a total of 371 votes, defeating other frontline aspirants such as the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, and a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki who polled 237 and 70 votes respectively.
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Other aspirants include former Senate president Pius Anyim (14 votes), Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state (38 votes), and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state (20 votes).
Total valid votes are 763 while 12 votes were voided. The valid votes are 751.
Governor Tambuwal withdraws from PDP presidential race, endorses Atiku
Meanwhile, before the election started, Governor Aminu Tabuwal of Sokoto state had stepped down for Atiku.
He announced the move on Saturday, May 28, during the 2022 PDP National Convention holding at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja monitored by Legit.ng.
"...I have appealed to my supporters to take this in good strides and for national unity and patriotism – not only that, those who are delegates here – should vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar," Governor Tambuwal said.
After Tambuwal, another PDP presidential aspirant steps down for Atiku, says Fintiri
In a similar development, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state claimed before the election began that Mohammed Hayatu-Deen stepped down for Atiku in the race for the PDP’s presidential ticket.
Legit.ng recalls that Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential hopefuls, announced earlier that he was exiting the race but did not say he was supporting any particular candidate.
In a statement sighted by Legit.ng, Hayatu-deen noted that he did not "join party politics and to contest for the presidency because of personal gains and inordinate ambition, but in order to serve our country".
Source: Legit.ng
