Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State may reached a pact ahead of the presidential elections in 2019.
Remarks by both parties showed that they would discuss possible alliance and make this known very soon.
While fielding questions on Wednesday during a visit/consultation with party members on 2019, Atiku hinted that he would discuss his ambition with Fayose whom he described as a force to reckon with in PDP, saying: “He calls the shots and when he does so, we all take the queue.”
Responding, Fayose, who also described Atiku’s ambition as “legitimate and a welcome development”, said though he was expecting the former Vice President to discuss his presidential ambition with him privately as other aspirants would do, he assured that in spite of his aspiration to rule Nigeria, party’s interest would be placed above individual aspirations.
” He (Atiku) has not spoken to me privately about it, and may be he would do that in our private meeting. But his body language obviously shows he has an ambition which is legitimate. We will all examine everybody and we will create a level playing ground. As he has come, others will still come. On the issue of being Vice President, like I said, in the Book of Ezekiel 37, the Bible says God asks that can this bone can live, and the Prophet answers and says Thou Knoweth, all these questions are questions for God and He has answers for them, man has no answer. You may wish anything for me, but God’s wish is supreme. I deserve to serve this country as President. I have paid my due. I am not a hidden voice. I have all it takes to lead this country, but whichever way it goes, the interest of our party comes first, it is above our individual aspiration. Whoever the party finally picks as party’s candidate will be supported by others.
Atiku, who refused to comment on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s condemnation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, said that Nigerians are to evaluate Obasanjo’s letter to the President.
He, however, advised the electorate not to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019 because: “APC has failed this country. That party is not the solution to our country’s challenges”.
The former Vice President, who lauded Fayose’s warm reception at the Akure Airport, said: ” Since my return home to PDP, this is the first state I am visiting for consultations with party leaders. This is not surprising as Fayose and I had struck a good relationship since his first tenure as governor and I was VP. He is blunt and straightforward, a sharpshooter in politics and I respect him for this.
“But above all, he is also the chairman of our party’s Governor’s Forum. Today among the governors, among the party members generally, he calls the shots and when he does so, we all take the queue.
“I have visited this state severally with other governors in the saddle, what I have observed has been a monumental development in terms of infrastructure in the state and the quality of life of the people, but as a politician, anywhere we were driving along the road, from Akure, he was receiving cheers all through, while the road from Akure to Ekiti was bad that from Ekiti into the state is splendid.
“I have seen what you have achieved and your footprints are all over the state capital. I commend you for that and for your leadership, I believe you have quite a lot to offer for our country. Another unique thing the governor has done is telling me that his deputy is being supported as the party candidate in the next election. This is a very rare feat in the democratic system of our country, how many deputy governors have succeeded their governors? It means he has foresight and want a someone to continue his good works, and I hope if you have the opportunity by the grace of God, you will continue the good works. I am coming back to campaign with you for 2018 polls”, Atiku told Fayose.
